Sailor Moon: A Call to Arms Part One: The Coward
by Gray Dusk
Summary: Normal is not the norm when you're a magical girl, or happen to befriend them. Just as their senior year is beginning, a haunting vision heralds the coming of a new threat to Earth's way of life, and soon, Usagi finds herself as the main target. As things become more and more personal, Usagi realizes that sometimes, you have no choice but to fight...
1. Prologue

**Prologue  
**_Dosh Thieta_

In the twisted shadows of the dream world, things could add up perfectly, not at all, or even worse, somewhere in the middle. Some evenings it was metaphorically literal nonsense and truthfully false epiphanies with just a dash of embarrassing childhood memories. Other evening adventures consisted of eating a snack while doing homework and despairing the next day when turning in a blank assignment. It happened. Regardless, a normal person could thank their lucky stars or whatever object they personified luck with that dreams were usually just dreams.

A particular seventeen-year-old girl in Tokyo who was renowned for a sharp tongue and a foul temper in spite of her recent good behavior had no such luck regardless of what objects she mentally imbued with the intangible quality the Irish tended to hoard for themselves. Rei Hino was not normal, and abnormally weird would not even begin to describe just how different she was. And pertaining to the beginning of the passage, her dreams were not always normal, either.

Usually they did in fact consist of stupid, or embarrassing, or funny, or soul flaying dreams that were of no consequence once she was reprieved from the darker and unprotected corners of Queen Mab's domain with the opening of her soft, dark violet eyes. Sadly, usually was not always, and on a hot August night that was supposed to be the end of something awful, one lousy time ended just so another could begin.

Ever since early childhood, she had an innate ability to detect danger or evil spirits. As the granddaughter of a Shinto priest, these abilities were naturally encouraged and nurtured at the cost of alienating her from other less spectrally open-minded people, which meant virtually the entire elementary school population. Fewer friends to distract her meant more time to harness and nurture her spiritual abilities. Eventually, she began having dreams that were of actual consequence, dreams about the future or dreams about the present. She could see things differently in this ultra-active meditation state scientists mistakenly called dream sleep and she could solve little mysteries or avoid little calamities, like grandpa nearly spilling the last glass of milk with a mouthful of cookies.

But the current dream was not one of milk and cookies. Floating around her in a misty room with a dirty floor, no walls and a hazy, cracked mirror were shadowy figures. They spun ever so slowly but did not flail. It was as if they accepted floating as perfectly normal. They turned their faceless faces to her and laughed broken, low-pitched laughs at her.

"_Dosh thieta_," said a gurgled voice from a slightly more corporeal shadow that she saw in the mirror's reflection. It held a red sword and pointed it at her. She whirled around and opened her mouth to speak, but only silence escaped. It was apparently one of those dreams where one could not speak, and not being able to speak did not please her. She tried to back away from the advancing figure but her feet moved as if she were suspended in the air by mere millimeters. Before she had time to ponder why she was able to turn around but not walk backwards, it spoke again.

"_Dosh thieta_." The figure kept its sword pointed at her as it slowly closed in. Rei tried to move again by pointing her toes out in an effort to catch the ground and noticed that she was wearing her old _fuku_ when she was Sailor Mars, a uniform she had not worn in over a year and a half. The black outline got ever closer and Rei realized that if she could not walk in a dream, she could still will herself to fly. She had been doing that sort of thing for years, and damn it, it was _her_ dream! As she willed herself higher off of the ground, the figure floated with her and she winced as the red sword touched her lips. "_Dosh thieta_."

"What does that mean?!" Rei could now talk, and she had a few choice words to say. The sword touching her lips must have woken a sleeping part of her brain, and her incantations were one of her most powerful weapons, even before she became the Senshi of Fire, but the figure spoke again first.

"_Dosh thieta_." Rei suddenly fell to the ground and the figure landed on top, straddling her as it painfully pinned her arms to the ground with its knees. It quickly lowered the sword to her neck and pressed gently. Rei felt the cold, sharp blade play with her neck. It was enough pressure to scare her but not enough to break the skin without sliding the edge. She held still and waited for the sharp cutting pain and the feeling of hot liquid running across her neck and chest before she would be allowed to die in the dream, ending it and giving her the means to seek refuge back in the world of consciousness, but the killing blow never came. The figure almost seemed to slouch as it shook its head and slowly got off of her and walked away. It almost looked like it was ashamed.

Maybe it wasn't an enemy! Rei jumped up and ran after it. "Wait! Who are you? What are you saying?" All around her, the other shadows began to laugh while the figure kept walking away and the dream began fading, forcing her back to the safety of the shrine.

_No! Not yet! I'm so close_…

The figure turned one last time, two red glowing orbs for eyes were visible. "_Dosh thieta_."

*.*.*

Rei opened her eyes and looked around her. She was home at the shrine with her so-called friends where they were having a sleep over. Well, they were _her_ friends beyond the shadow of any doubt, but how could she still call herself their friend with any sense of certainty? In one of the darkest times of her life she had turned away from her friends, practically banishing them from her life. She had even sent her dearest Yuuichirou Kumada away, leaving him to despair and turn to drink to ease his loss of her.

But that was over a year ago. Things were different now. _They are… aren't they?_ She had her Yuui back, sober and high on life and Shinto, and her fellow Sailor Senshi were in the same room with her, just like the good old days. The Juuban High Quartet had dropped everything they were doing the day before and came flying to the Hikawa Shrine the moment Rei contacted them, asking them all to come over and hang out with her again. Rei blinked her tears back in vain and had to manually wipe the uncooperative escapees that rolled from her eyes.

She had been too stubborn and proud to show her true feelings and was merely all smiles about it. She hated looking weak and had more than the lioness's share of pride. After she got her silent sobs under control, she looked around the room a second time. The girls were still where they had been when she first woke up and Rei hoped they weren't just pretending to sleep.

"_Those are… my purple… carrot trees…_" Minako Aino mumbled incoherently in English as Makoto Kino grumbled softly, changing position. A split second later Usagi Tsukino started snoring loudly, causing Ami Mizuno to jump.

"Roll over," she murmured as she pushed Usagi onto her side, not even glancing at Rei.

Her sobs had gone unnoticed and her foolish pride had been appeased. Rei stood and silently crept towards the bathroom. She needed to think in private. She needed to make sure that it was indeed just a fantastic dream, or if things turned out horribly, an omen of importance. But most of all, she needed to pee! Although she could meditate under less than ideal circumstances, ideal circumstances were available. Why raise the level of difficulty when there was no real gain?

As she crept over Usagi, she rolled onto her back once again, causing Rei's knee to buckle with her crashing on top of Ami. The semi-retired Senshi of Mercury flailed and made a pained wheezing noise.

"Rei-_chan_," Usagi mumbled, "what are you doing?" The other girls started to stir with Minako herself half of another sentence into gibberish before fully waking up.

Rei got off of Ami and bowed in apology. "_Gomen_. I was just going to the bathroom."

"Okay. _Oyasumi_."

Ami smiled and shrugged before she buried her head under the sheets _after_ reminding Usagi to sleep on her side or belly. The other two followed suit and resumed their pursuit of pleasantly meaningless dreams while Rei made her way to the bathroom. She thought to herself as to what her dream had meant. Her thoughts were temporarily hindered first by a yawn and then more so by the necessary amount of concentration needed to not make an embarrassing mess while relieving herself. She eventually found herself leaning against the sink and staring at her own reflection. Her eyes were still red-rimmed but not too puffy. She slapped off the lights and stood in the darkness, chiding herself for such foolishness at a time like that!

She needed to focus on her dream, not if she looked like she had been crying or not. She needed to think. She needed to concentrate. She willed herself to focus her mind and spirit on one single thought and slipped into a meditative thought process while standing and staring into the darkness, ignoring the faint reflection of her face as her eyes adjusted. Minutes passed like seconds until she was in a mental trance, retracing her dream. She knew _dosh thieta_ meant something important, but what? She began to retrace to the thoughts of the spirit of the image. In her mind, the figure spoke one final time.

"I arrive."

*.*.*

"Rei-_chan_!" A sharp rapping noise from the door broke Rei's concentration. It was Usagi. It was _always_ Usagi! Who the hell else would do something that counter productive at such a critical time?! "Did you fall asleep in there? I have to pee!"

Rei sneered in annoyance at the distraction but managed to keep her temper in check. After all, she was able to get the figure to speak in plain Japanese, which meant…

_Oh, no…_

It was significant and it had meaning. It was a message and not a harmless dream. "I'm fine," she lied as she turned the lights back on, blinking in discomfort from the florescent blast. "I'll be out in..." Rei stared wide-eyed at her reflection in the mirror. Upon her forehead was the mark of Mars. She wiped her eyes and shook her head and looked again. It was still there. "U-Usagi... come in here."

"… do what?"

Rei didn't have time for lavatory courtesies and bathroom etiquette. She opened the door and went to yank Usagi into the light but stopped and stared in defeat. Something was happening. "You have the mark of the moon…" she mumbled weakly.

"Wha?"

"On your forehead!"

"You, too! I… mean… the Mars… whaaa…!"

Usagi's babbled reply was cut short as Rei began dragging her towards the other Inner Senshi. "We have to wake the others. It's not a coincidence. It has something to do with the dream I just had!"

"Is it bad," Usagi asked as she stumbled to keep up with Rei.

"Is it ever _not_ bad? There were shadows and a figure saying 'I arrive' in some odd language and a red sword and… lots of... stuff…"

"What does it mean, Rei-_chan_?" Rei opened the door and stopped dead in her tracks, causing Usagi to bounce off of her and land on the floor. The others were awake, each with the mark of their respective planet upon their foreheads. Minako's white cat and guide, Artemis, approached with a look of apprehension.

"It means there is impending danger. The time has come for you to become Sailor Senshi again."

Rei slid down with her back against the wall and huddled into a ball, no longer able to appease her stupid pride. She had been given over a year to laugh and cry and live her life with her four closest friends without having to worry about being Sailor Mars. And what had she done with it? Had she learned nothing from the North Pole and the final battle against Galaxia and Chaos?!

"Rei Hino," she sobbed to herself, "you _idiot!_"

*.*.*

*.*.*

*.*.*

Author's misdirected notes on Prologue: Dosh Thieta and things totally irrelevant to the passage, too...

'He's living in a fantasy world!'

I'm not living there. I do not have a permanent residence there. I just visit it a lot in my head because as messed up as it gets, it's much more preferable to here most of the time.

With that, howdeedoodee, and welcome to my own little world. This story was originally 'published' as Sailor Moon: Invasion in June of 2000. Part one was originally called Arrival. At that time, I only had two readers, my sister and my online friend whom I based a character off of. As it is nearing the end of 2012, I have come to the conclusion that my personal, political and spiritual views as well as my style of narration have vastly changed.

That, and Tetsuya is a total Mary Sue and needs a major nerf. After all, the story is called Sailor Moon: A Call to Arms, not Davey's Alter Ego in a Story: A Call to Arms.

I made the decision to start working on the story again while I was deployed over the summer in a less than ideal working environment where I was in the shop that was primarily responsible for providing free commercial internet to people's living areas. In addition to this being a blatant violation of a Four Star's policy, it tore down the barrier between professional and personal, and I went from being a deployed Airman to the Comcast guy and it was always my fault someone couldn't get on Skype on their Ipad. With sudden rushes of having to walk around in 110 degree heat to check up on these things, there were also sudden lulls. During these times of sanity and air conditioning, I began reading through my old work and the Hitoshi Doi transcripts of the TV show to make sure I had the canon stuff straight as well as my own story line.

It was about as straight as a politician... Good thing I went back through it again!

Anyways, one of the junior Airmen figured out why the modems kept wanking out around the time we got new Squadron, Group and Wing level leadership. The private internet once again became a convenience and not a priority and we were once again in charge of maintaining the mission comm systems. This had a few surges of 12 + hour sprints to complete a short notice requirement with a fair share of down time which we had all earned after the first two months. Hello, Tokyo!

I would say that was a tangent, but a tangent touches the circle at exactly one point. The above probably doesn't even qualify as a tangent...

As for the Prologue, the introduction to Sailor Moon: S was the inspiration to play on Rei's spiritual attunement even further. Now, in the original story line, there was no post-Galaxia break-up. Other than incorrectly tweaking Ami and Usagi's personalities while practically ignoring Minako's existence, I didn't really change much. They lived happily ever for one and a half years until Mega Man/AMAZO falls out of the sky and everything goes to poopy.

And my wife is teasing me for using the word poopy. I am using self-censorship in an intentionally exaggerated manner.

Moving on, Tetsuya was far too mature for a seventeen year old, far too confident for someone who had gone through what he had at such a young age, and other than not being too tall, he didn't really have any faults at first. Well, an eighteen year old's alter ego is far different than a thirty year old's. I would like to think that Tetsuya as he is being rewritten is the best of me and the worst of me, as well as parts that are not me at all. But that's in the chapters to come...

Dream scene, slapstick, Usagi saying and doing goofy stuff, important point pointed out by one of the cats, theme music!

Also, Makoto's last name is Kino, not Lita or Rita. :P And it's Yuuichirou Kumada, not Kameda. Me feels so sillies...

And on a final note, I am completely sober. This is how I act and think uninhibited. I even act weird in public sometimes when I'm out of uniform much to my wife's chagrin. And speaking of ADD...

_Oyasumi_!


	2. Chapter 1

**Sailor Moon: A Call to Arms**

**Part One: The Coward**

**Chapter One**  
_Falling Free_

"Wake up, Scout Jirghy." Pethospoe Jirghy slowly opened his eyes. "Scout Jirghy," the feminine computer voice repeated, "you will enter the intended planet's atmosphere in two _ch'leks_. Your chute is secured. Now is the time to divert course if needed. Are your sword and locket properly secured?"

"Yeah." Pethospoe's voice was groggy from six weeks in suspended animation. Even after two years, it still amazed him how just a smidgen of magic could nearly undo the false sleep. And speaking of magic, secured simply meant magically infused into his flesh along with his Scout suit, able to be summoned or dismissed with a mere thought. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"It is my program."

Why was he thanking it? It was _Klijargan!_ "So, how does it feel to know you're gonna be disintegrated in about, oh... four _ch'leks_?"

"My programming is not advanced enough to feel emotions or think logically. This was an automated response."

Pethospoe sighed. Now he was _talking_ to it. The suspended animation must have addled his mind a tad. "So long then, you Klijargan hunk 'o junk. Speak only if there's an emergency." Pethospoe felt his pod start to vibrate as it hit the Earth's atmosphere, a mix of fear and joy going through him. _Here I am, twelve _groh'leks_ away from the Klijargan advance corridor, and knowing them, they'll ignore this planet, being so overpopulated and all, and that's if they even bother with this rural area of the galaxy. They don't even know I have their precious Sword of Klijarga, thanks to those Melorian replicators, and they think I'm dead from that escape pod explosion. They'll _never_ come to me here. I'm finally free!_

He was free. He was actually free! He had to chant a quick mantra to magically suppress his emotions to keep himself from crying tears of joy as he still had to survive landing, but he had actually made it! The zealots who had taken everything from him and forced him to be some sort of prophesized messiah would never find him on the third planet in a nine-plus planet system that had so many sizable free-floaters that could also be called planets, depending on individual interpretation. He smirked at the thought. Had there been only eight definite planets, four solid and then four gaseous, the Klijargans would have had him lead the invasion of their so called promised land. But there were many solid rocks big enough to be planets beyond the fourth gaseous planet as well as a very sizable sphere that may or may not be simply the largest member of the asteroid belt as the definition of a planet wasn't intergalactically agreed upon. Well, now they would have to find a new messiah, forever ignorant of his final insults and desecrations to their relics and their unwritten final legacy.

_I'm doing it again_. He shook his head to stop his mental tangent and focus on the here and now. Sweat started to bead on his brow as the internal temperature of the pod increased from the friction with the Earth's atmosphere. He awaited the computer's final remark. "Separation in five, four, three, two, one..."

_Crud_...

Pethospoe squeezed his eyes shut as the world around him exploded with the rush of the Earth's atmosphere as the escape pod split open, allowing him to free fall most of the way to the ground until he opened his chute. The safe feeling of artificial gravity was gone and he felt the horrifying sensation of weightlessness as he was hurled at a more than fatal velocity to the ground below. He chanted the mantra of courage and got it right by the third try, allowing himself to focus on what he had to do to _not_ become a splat on the ground. It would be rather silly to panic and die when he was so close to his goal.

He looked through the computer visor on his helmet-mask and the altimeter told him 10,000 _tellos_ which meant he still had a good while until the 100 _tello_ mark where he would open his chute. Although the atmosphere was still thin that high up, the oxygen pack on his hip would feed him enough air until he was on the ground. He arched his body so he could see up as his escape pod self-disintegrated itself to hide his presence. As he looked at the giant world around him, he realized it was almost dawn.

_Goddess damned piece of crap miscalculated! It should be night!_ He looked down and saw city lights below him. Using his visor, he found a small body of water to land in. _Great. I'm right in the middle of a big city. I guess I'd better not open my chute until I'm only 50 tellos up to reduce visibility_. The pod should have guided Pethospoe to an area of light population or farmland further up north. Instead, he was right over possibly the largest city on the planet with a population of nearly 15 million when including all of its many, many suburbs.

Maybe it was for the best. He looked like what the people of Earth called a 'Caucasian' but they did not congregate en masse on the island nation he was falling towards. Just _why_ he had picked it, he did not know. It just felt right for some reason, but the new development was probably for the best as he wouldn't stick out as bad in a city of millions.

5,000 _tellos_ were left on the visor and they were dropping fast. Pethospoe clenched his teeth and straightened his body into an arrow, falling as fast as he possibly could by lowering the surface area of his body and increasing his terminal velocity. His visor told him 2,500 _tellos_ to the ground. He strained to keep his eyes open rather than shut them, appeasing his instinctual desires to feel a false sense of safety while rocketing towards his death if something went wrong with the chute. After all, magic mantras only went so far and only lasted so long...

_You can do this! You're almost there. Stay focused, and a new life will finally be yours!_

After two years of traveling with the Klijargans, Pethospoe was able to fake his own death and steal the Klijargan's most precious artifact after replicating it and putting the replica in its place. The only other possession of his was a locket with a picture of his mother that played music. 500 _tellos_ were left. Pethospoe spread his body out to reduce his terminal velocity, allowing him to slow down a bit. 200 _tellos_.

_I gotta time this one just right!_ As the visor hit 60, Pethospoe pulled the ripcord and the first chute opened at 53, slowing him even more and allowing the main chute to open at 30. He unleashed himself from his chute in mid air at 5 _tellos_ and splashed into the lake his visor had targeted earlier. He didn't bother looking up to see his chute automatically disintegrate itself. He swam to where he could wade and started to run out of the small lake.

"_Anata wa dare desu ka?_"

Pethospoe turned to a demanding voice. Staring at him was a tall, young woman wearing very short, loose reflective pants and a tight fitting, sleeveless shirt that left her midriff exposed. Due to a multitude of circumstances, he didn't have time to admire her beauty. She spoke again as he stood motionless while his mouthpiece filtered out the water so he'd be able to breath uninhibited.

_Crap_...

*.*.*

"I said who are you?" Makoto Kino, the Senshi of Jupiter and the master of nature and electricity, demanded of the figure that fell from the sky. Its dress was a black body suit but the arrangement of what appeared to be buttons on the vest got her attention as they reminded her strongly of the uniform of the Generals of Queen Beryl. "Answer me!" After a moment of staring back at her in silence, the figure spun around and darted off without a word, prompting Makoto to gave chase. "_Oi!_ Get back here!"

_What luck!_ She grinned a huntresses grin as she was able to keep up with the figure who just happened to be bee lining right for the Hikawa Shrine. Good thing she was already warmed up... "Guys, wake-up! Wake-up! A strange person fell out of the sky. When I tried to talk to him, he just ran away from me. I'm keeping up with him and he's headed right for the Shrine! Come to the man gate!" There was a slight pause as silence was her only reply. "Dam it! Are any of you awake?!"

"What is it, Mako-_chan_," a groggy Minako Aino asked, her tiny features blurred in the two-way video communicator. "Who fell out of the... sky? Are you sure you..."

"Just shut up and transform and meet me at the gate. Get the others. Make _sure_ you're all transformed! This is serious! I'm on my way and we're coming in _hot_!"

"Wha?!" Her image shook its tiny head and she nodded. "Um... right! Hey guys!"

Makoto yelled at the figure again. "I'm not your enemy! Why are you running from me?" She saw from the streets they were running through that they were almost within site of the Shrine's gate. Makoto prayed that the others would hurry. She wasn't looking for a fight, and maybe a show of force would make sure the idea never crossed the stranger's thoughts.

"Damn it, STOP!" The figure stopped dead in its tracks and turned around. Makoto slowed to a stop and put her hands on her hips, displaying her annoyance of having to wait for the stranger to finally comply as she was barely even winded. Well, maybe just a little bit winded. "That's better. Now, if you'd…" She stared in a slight state of shock as the character materialized a reddish blade in its hand and pointed it at her. It was the red blade from Rei's dream! Upon further inspection, the figure did seem somewhat shadowy…

*.*.*

Pethospoe knew that talking would be useless because he hadn't absorbed the local language yet. He had no choice but to brandish his blade while screaming like a _moopawak_ at the girl who had somehow managed to keep up with him as he ran. Had he not been so full of adrenaline and winded from the fruitless sprint, he'd be embarrassed by the sounds he made after it went through his voice filter. _Moopawaks_ sounded even sillier than normal with a metallic voice…

The girl slowly backed away and Pethospoe started backing away himself in the other direction. _I need to get out of here! The locals will be stirring_. Pethospoe turned around and stopped at the sight. He saw before him four late teen-aged females in similar uniforms standing in defiant stances. He knew they were there to oppose him, and someone who dressed that ridiculously _must_ be very skilled in her vocation. He stared at them and they stared back for a moment before the one in front with long blond hair tied into two long tails starting at two buns spoke. "_Watashi wa Seeraa Muun_."

"_Seeraa Makuyuri_," said the one with short blue hair.

"_Seeraa Venusu_," said the one with long, flowing blond hair.

"_Seeraa Marusu_," said the one with long, dark hair.

"_Seeraa Jupputa_," a voice from behind said. Pethospoe glanced back to see another similarly uniformed girl behind him. _I'm trapped!_ Pethospoe put his back to a fence and faced perpendicularly to the line between the four _Seeraas_ and the lone one so to be able to see an attack from any angle. He thought about simply surrendering. Whatever they would do to him was better than being a slave of Klijarga.

_No… _He couldn't simply surrender. All he would be able to do is suffer incarceration or execution, or even become an enslaved soldier to them instead. As much as he hated to admit it, the Klijargans had trained him well. All he had to do was break past Jupputa and he would eventually be able to lose his pursuers. Besides, he was the only one with a weapon and he doubted they had any place on such skimpy outfits to hide any weapons...

"_Watashitachi wa_," the group said, snapping him back to the present, "_Seeraa Senshi!_" The quartet did an odd group pose and the fifth warrior joined them. Relief and confusion flooded through him as he pondered what had just happened. _That tall girl must be stupid. She just forfeited her group's tactical advantage. And no true warrior would ever use such a foolish pose in battle_. _I'm dealing with cute, scantily clad clowns!_ _Wait… where'd that girl who was chasing me go…_

"_Nihon o hanishimasu ka?_" said the one named Makuyuri. Pethospoe merely stood and stared through his helmet. The way she carried herself meant she was trying to diffuse the situation. If only he had been given a chance to learn their tongue… He dematerialized his sword as a show of good intent. Maybe he could work out something without having to flee after all, but then the one named Marusu stepped forward and spoke.

"I arrive," she said in Klijargan.

*.*.*

The masked figure stepped back in awe as Rei spoke. "_Dosh theita_," she said again.

"_Shybolia!_" The figure's voice was cold and metallic as if there was a synthesizer to block his or her true voice. The figure charged right at Rei with such speed that she only had time to brace for the impact. The figure rammed its head into her gut, causing her to double over in pain. Rei saw the ground come right at her face followed by blurred stars upon crashing into the ground face-first before pleasant darkness.

*.*.*

_Emulators. I _knew_ it!_ Many planets with large populations used emulators as soldiers because of their ability to literally learn things such as language, knowledge or magic through osmosis. Klijargan emulators in particular could even steal abilities through physical contact. Pethospoe kept running from his adversaries. One thing he knew was that an individual emulator by herself could be trusted on a case-by-case basis. But in a group, they turned into pecking avians who preyed on lone bucks, and he was a very lone young buck. His sixth sense told him to jump and he did.

"_Suparukurin waido puresha!_" Pethospoe jumped over a compact lighting ball that slammed into a lamppost in front of him, sending small bolts and little chunks of the lamppost in all directions. The pieces of shrapnel only bounced off of his suit, but the electric bolts shocked him, causing him to trip as his leg spasmed. He rolled up onto his feet and faced his enemies, materializing his sword in his left hand. The one in red whom he had rammed was not standing. _That's one less pursuer_.

"_Lavu mi chen!_" cried Venusu.

"_Shabon supure furezin!_" yelled the two-faced Makuyuri who almost had him fooled before Marusu blew their cover. Emulators weren't always the brightest, after all. Venusu's attack was a chain-like whip that whirled towards Pethospoe. He knocked the chain away with his sword but Makuyuri's attack was a mist that froze him in his place. He was paralyzed, totally unable to move!

*.*.*

Usagi aimed her hands at the stranger and screamed her attack. "Moon Princess Halation!" A flurry of sparkling bits of powerful light spiraled at the masked stranger and impacted with its sword. The blast of the attack knocked away the sword but it also freed the stranger from the area of Mercury's Shabbon Freezing Spray. "Oops! Sorry!"

Makoto snarled but said nothing. _First day back on the job and she's already screwing up. That's our Usagi-_chan...

"Wait," Ami said. "It dropped its sword!" The group's optimism was struck down when the stranger opened its palm and the sword flew back to its waiting hand. How was he able to do that?! The figure stood for a split second before he punched at the thin air. An almost invisible shockwave hit the four standing Senshi, throwing them to the ground as the figure started to run again.

Sailor Jupiter jumped to her feet and sprinted after the masked figure. _Wouldn't be the first time I've soloed a bad guy!_ With her Senshi powers, she was much faster and stronger than when she was merely Makoto Kino, making it no challenge to keep up with the strange character and even start closing distance. She observed that the figure seemed to be limping slightly. Apparently Usagi's blast hadn't totally hit the sword.

_Way to go, Usagi_-chan_! It was foolish of me to doubt you..._

It is _always_ foolish to doubt her...

Makoto wondered about the gender of the figure. It seemed to have a masculine attitude but feminine grace and flexibility. Of course, after taking a full Princess Halation hit, the figure's grace was now a painful sprinting limp. Makoto would catch up before the next intersection.

"You're mine!" Makoto saw the figure turn around and bear its sword at her. She looked around and spotted a large metal bar in a garbage can. Very convenient for her, and very bad for the poor whelp who had interrupted her morning workout! A normal person would not be able to swing around a heavy steel bar like a light staff, but she was Sailor Jupiter! She grabbed the rod and pointed it at the figure. "This is your last chance. Give up. _Now!_"

*.*.*

"YAAAA!" Pethospoe jumped into the air and slashed his sword down with the blunt side towards his opponent. He wasn't trying to kill, after all. He knew if he did, her friends would hunt him down and exact revenge. Jupputa placed her rod in both hands, blocked the sword and pushed her arms and the rod forward, throwing Pethospoe high into the air. As he landed, his injured knee gave way and he had to roll back once to regain a standing position. The girl swung the rod like a sword and as fast as one too. Pethospoe's block was barely effective as he was thrown to the ground again by the sheer momentum of his enemy's weapon. _I'm not fighting a girl, I'm fighting a cute ogre!_ Pethospoe slashed at his enemy's shins but she reacted with lighting speed and swung the rod down to block. The sword came to a sudden halt, hitting the metal rod with a loud _clang_ and sending a painful vibration through his hands and wrists.

Pethospoe rolled back and onto his feet again and stood up in time to see the rod connect with the part of his helmet covering his mouth. His chin and lips felt the cool breeze of the Earth and Pethospoe knew that the girl had seen his stubble from lack of shaving. His enemies knew his gender. It mattered not, though. They had not seen his eyes. After slamming into the ground again, he shut his helmet. He knew he'd be feeling the impact later, but the overload of adrenaline kept the sensation of pain on the backburner of his mind.

He rolled backwards once again and instinctively blocked the expected attack. The hit pushed him back and his sword was locked with Jupputa's rod. It was now a strength match and Pethospoe was losing horribly. He quickly switched his stance in an effort to throw Jupputa off balance, but she quickly reacted and continued to push Pethospoe back even further. Jupputa let go of the rod with one hand and she was still winning. She punched Pethospoe's mask repeatedly and rapidly with her free hand. One hit dislodged the lower part again, once again revealing his lips and chin.

It then occurred to him that his enemy, although strong and quick, had very little mental discipline due to her joining her group during that odd pose. In a last-ditch effort to throw her, he leaned in quickly, kissed her and forced his tongue into her mouth. The girl had a look of surprise on her face and Pethospoe cut to the right, sending Jupputa forward. He slammed the hilt of his sword into the back of her neck.

Jupputa let out a cry and fell to the ground. _I'll kill you! _Barely aware of himself as his instincts and brutal training took over, Pethospoe rolled her over and straddled her with his knees pinning her arms to the ground. He put his sword to her neck for a killing blow and stopped himself. _What am I doing?!_ He was an efficient killer, but not a totally mindless one.

Barely conscious, Jupputa still struggled, even with a sharp sword on her throat. A pang of pity tore through Pethospoe's heart. _Pity for a bested foe. I remember it. So the monster in me is finally dying. It really is possible for me to change_. He shook his head and lifted the blade. Standing, he closed his helmet for a second time and limp-sprinted away. _I'm so sorry. I'll make amends when I absorb your language. I swear it._

*.*.*

*.*.*

*.*.*

Ugh...what do I call it?

I picked Invasion so it'd look like Sailor Moon: I. Um...I, Sailor Moon? With robots who are self-aware and Will Smith playing Will Smith? I guess Kristen Bell could play Usagi, but then CW would cancel it halfway through production when Sailor Moon kept crying out of sheer happiness every time someone was talking about a character from the Goonies... Google it. If you still don't get the joke, you can PM me.

A Call to Arms... not exactly poetic, but it's definitely off of the main Sailor Moon beat. You see, I always wanted to see how she would handle things not in her normal repartee. That is such a funny word, but moving on... Oh, it's not the right word. Crap.

You see, I always wanted to see how she would handle things not in her normal order of business. Normally, she does something silly and funny, she rescues the guest of the day and slays the monster of the day, and the overall plot line may or may not advance. Roll the credits.

Nah, man. Sustained conflict, both internal and external. How do they all deal with these new and different inputs? Instead of some evil or misguided or possessed entity that wants to conquer/destroy Earth or capture the power of the Silver Crystal or exact revenge on the Moon Princess, you have a race of driven zealots bent on turning Earth into their promised land by christening it with the blood of Sailor Moon. They are not insane, possessed, or by their beliefs, evil. You see, in the Old Testament, it was commanded that the Israelites exterminate every last man, woman, child, and livestock in a certain city during Saul's reign. So according to that, the actions of ancient Israel was divine mandate, and the evil act that got punished was when Saul took prisoners and war spoils in the way of livestock.

Pretty heavy stuff, but I'm not here to argue religion. The overall point is that good and evil aren't absolute. They're just another interpretation from a different point of view. Closer to home, Setsuna, Haruka and Michiru saw the act of saving Hotaru's life as evil while Usagi saw the act of killing her to stop the Silence as evil. Both had valid points. Had Usagi failed, Earth would have been wiped out entirely. Had the Outer Senshi succeeded, an innocent girl would have died as the price to save Earth. According to the lore and teachings of the antagonists in A Call to Arms, their actions are not evil. The people of Tokyo, Saitama and Chiba, on the other hand, would beg to differ...

Um, I'm surprised my eyes aren't bleeding looking over the ANCIENT texts. Tetsu Journ. Tetsu isn't even a Japanese name. Tetsuo or Tetsuya. And Journ...that's like naming someone Apple. Not Applegate or Applebee, just Apple. Or App... I compensated my ignorance and stupidity well with my confidence. Ignorance was so blissful. I charged ahead and wrote out over 100 pages over summer break between Junior and Senior year. Heck, I never got through the Hitoshi Doi transcripts. I stopped before Fisheye, Tigereye and Snakeeyes...I mean Hawkeye were sent to the dream world by Helios.

SuperS was awful. Why do you think Chibi-Usa disappeared after the first six episodes of Stars? I mean, the ending was ultra-badass with Usagi just jumping after Chibi-Usa. But, ugh...what a trek just to get there.

Part One: The Coward. Chapter One: Falling Free. I almost called this chapter Shooting Star and the entire Part Falling Free, but it's better this way. He's literally falling out of the sky with nothing but a locket, sword and magically/technologically advanced suit graphed onto his body. But he's _free_! He's finally free of his captors who enslaved him and he's going to start a new life without ever having to worry about them ever again...

...

...

And Part One is called The Coward because, well, I'm introducing the new guy. And while he can be forced into heroic acts or noble causes, he's scared, hurt and desperately seeking something worth living for. And yes, he's my alter ego in a way. Who _wouldn't _want to fight alongside the Sailor Senshi? Hot chicks in mini-skirts saving the planet.

Well, after having experienced a drawn out situation where someone was doing their best to kill me, it kinda makes me realize that in real life, I would not be too pleased about it at all. Here I am with these incredible powers, and people are trying to kill me. They're also trying to kill my friends. Who wants to watch a friend die? That would _suck_! And that is how I'm rewriting my character. He's not happy to be fighting, he's not happy that his friends are in harm's way, and he's hardly fearless. He's a coward, and it's that cowardice that keeps him from running away because as much as he values his own life, he would rather die than lose another friend. And yes, The Doctor is a HUGE inspiration for this new definition of a heroic coward.

And just to clear things up, I've never been in actual combat so far, just in the general vicinity of indirect mortar fire. I've also been fortunate enough to not lose anyone I knew to enemy action. Like I said in the last section, there are things about Tetsuya that have absolutely nothing to do with me or my life. It's a piece of fiction, after all. Make believe. Back on the trolley!

Well, fall from the sky, meet the Senshi under poor pretenses, scuffle scene, a dash of drama, a splash of humor, commercial break!

And now Davey has to go to work. Davey no like...

:(

*.*.*

This was pre-written before posting. It's now Friday evening. Take it away, Rebecca!

Now shut up. I wish I had the luxury of sleeping in until 7 A.M...

*.*.*

And now that I have abandoned deviantArt, my author's notes are here. It's 9 PM on a Monday!


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two****  
**_An Honest Lie_

"Sailor Jupiter!" Usagi sprinted to her partially incapacitated friend. "Are you all right?!"

Makoto looked up at Usagi, her eyes struggling to keep focus. "He spared my life," she said weakly.

"Eh?"

"He had me pinned. I was almost knocked out cold...barely awake from when he hit me in the head. His sword... was pressed against my throat, but then he just shook his head, got off of me, and walked away. Just like in her dream…"

"How do you know it was a he?"

Makoto winced as she tried to sit up. "While fighting, I… ow… knocked off part of his mask. He had facial hair."

"You saw him?"

"Only from the lips… to his chin. He didn't speak."

"Can you stand?" Usagi winced as Makoto tried to stand, but fell to her side after getting to one knee. "Oh, dear. He knocked you down with only one hit? How?"

"He's not as powerful or… fast as any one of us in our Sailor form, even if we aren't Super yet."

"Yeah. Artemis and Luna say it's just that the Silver Crystal hasn't been used for almost two years and it needs time to warm-up again or something like that. Why do they always have to tell me important stuff when Malice Mizer is on? Oh, Gackt-_sama_..."

_Is she serious?! Oh, wait... this is Usagi-_chan... "I know. I heard the first time. I'm stunned, not brain damaged… I hope. Anyways, he's a very skilled fighter. It was like he knew that… my mind-set wasn't that of a tempered soldier. He used that to defeat me."

"What do you mean?" Makoto blushed slightly and Usagi continued her question. "What happened? No, no, just stay down for now."

Makoto obediently abandoned her second attempt to stand. "We were in a strength match. I had a metal rod against his sword… and I was pushing him back. He tried to switch his position and… throw me off balance, but I countered. I then only held the rod with one hand." She smiled despite the pain she was in. "I was… still winning."

"You shouldn't show off in battle!"

"No, no, I used the free hand to start hitting his mask thing, and the same part… got knocked loose again. He then, well… kissed me, and shoved his tongue into my mouth. It was really gross, like he had six-week old morning breath! And it all happened… so quickly. I was surprised. He then cut to my left, and smacked me in the back of my head. If I weren't transformed, the blow would've knocked me out cold for days." She winced. "Okay, maybe he _was_ trying to kill me in the end... but during our fight, he kept attacking... with the blunt side of his sword. Where're the others?" Usagi turned around as Ami ran around the corner but didn't see her friend. The two girls gracelessly smacked into each other and fell flat onto their butts. Makoto started laughing. _Some things never change..._ "Hey, I feel better already."

"Wow," Ami Mizuno said, shaking off the pain from running into Usagi. She frowned after taking a quick glance at Makoto, "it got you pretty good. You all right?"

"I'll be fine. I'm just dazed. Where are Minako and Rei?"

Ami stood up and helped Usagi to her feet. "Names, Sailor Jupiter! Sailor Venus is helping Sailor Mars. She got a little dizzied. You?"

"My… oww…" Makoto's eyes closed as she lost consciousness.

"Sailor Jupiter!"

Or at least she thought she heard someone call out her name, but she was running late with her purple carrot harvest!

*.*.*

"I'm so sorry," Rei said through her hands covering her face as she fake cried to the doctor, "it's all my fault!"

Makoto slowly shook her head. "We were both horsing around. It could've been me shoving you into the rails of a fire escape."

Rei kept up her apologies and whimpers through her hands, guided by Usagi. She was only guided into two corners, which meant Usagi's attention to her environment was improving slightly... When the doctor lead Makoto into the emergency room with Ami and asked the other girls to wait outside Rei stared hard at Usagi. "Why do _I_ have to be the one who shoved her?"

"Because people think you're crazy," Usagi replied evenly.

Rei looked off to the side and glowered. "How's that supposed to help me become a famous singer, then?"

"I don't know, they might just call you the Delirious Deva. It's just supposed to be more believable to people. Who should we have made to take the blame, Ami?" Usagi imitated the posture of the well-mannered girl to emphasize her point. "Or, maybe they would believe us if we told them the truth!"

"I... I..." Rei's shoulder hunched. "I see your point."

"Look Rei-_chan_, I know it's not fair, but one week ago we were celebrating our second year of not being Senshi and being regular high school students, not to mention our reunion. Now we have to hide our identities again. I think this masked guy is only the tip of the iceberg because we can all use our first and second attacks we learned. If the Silver Crystal is gathering more energy, then something big is coming up."

"I just wish I hadn't pushed you all away over the last year."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Minako said gently. "We're all together again. That's all that matters now."

Rei closed her eyes for a moment before speaking. "Are you, well, scared?"

"You know me," Usagi said with confidence. "I'm _always_ scared, but I have all of you so I got nothing to worry about. Are _you_ scared?"

"Of course not!"

Usagi smiled slyly, not impressed by her friend's reply.

"I'm effing terrified!"

Ami stepped foreword. "We're in this together."

Rei blinked twice. "I thought you went with Mako-_chan_."

"I snuck back out here."

"You were _spying!_"

"I learned from the best," she countered with a wink. "And yes, I'm scared, too. Doesn't mean I'm retreating from my duties."

Minako smiled a huntress's grin. "We're the Sailor Senshi! It's okay to be scared, because it means we're not fools!"

Rei smiled. "Yeah. You're right. Nothing's stopped us before, not even death! It failed _twice_ for us!"

"Don't remind us!" they both said in unison. That got the three of them laughing. Usagi joined in the smiles but kept quiet, not too happy about having to remember certain events.

*.*.*

Pethospoe hurriedly limped through the back alleys of the monstrous city of _Tow Kyo_. His strange emulating abilities were slowly absorbing the language called _Ni Han Go_. While he was learning the new language, his knee was quickly recovering thanks the first ability he ever absorbed, his rapid healing ability. Only thirty minutes had passed since his first encounter with the five _Seeraas_ and his limping was almost unnoticeable. However, his odd clothing would generate unwanted attention.

Fortunately for him, he had taken an invisibility pack with him, standard issue for a Scout on a mission. It gave him thirty seconds of pure stealth to steal the clothing he was wearing and an amount of 238,750 monitory units called Yen. It seemed odd that Yen were not divided into any power of ten, but rather had the base unit used in all transactions. The squiggles that marked the name and the location of where Pethospoe had taken the money from burned into his memory. He would soon learn the meaning of those squiggles, and he would pay back what he had taken.

"_Nyao_." Pethospoe turned around to where he heard a strange noise. Looking at him curiously was a small black cat with a crescent-shaped bald spot. The word _Neko_ crept into his mind. _Neko_ meant cat! It would only be a very short time until he would know enough to pose as a foreigner and eventually as a national.

"_Nyao_," the cat said again as it pranced up to Pethospoe. He put his hand out and the cat sniffed and rubbed it's face against the hand. It proceeded to rub against Pethospoe's legs and make a soft yet soothing growling noise. _Strange acting cat. The cats of other planets are usually unfriendly and stupid. This planet's felines seem to have a certain amount of intelligence_. Pethospoe started to walk away but turned around and tried a short _Ni Han Go_ farewell.

"_Sayonara, Neko-sama_."

*.*.*

The four girls turned to face the door to the doctor's office when its creaking announced the impending verdict on Makoto's health. An elderly man of about fifty peered out and smiled. "I have very good news for you, ladies. Although your friend has a nasty bump on her head, there's no concussion as far as I can tell." The girls bowed in thanks to the doctor and he returned the bow. "Does she live far from here?"

"Don't worry, doctor," Rei volunteered, "my place isn't far from here. She can rest until tomorrow when school starts again."

The doctor smiled at the group as their friend entered the waiting area. Makoto walked slowly while holding a small bag of ice to the back of her head. She bowed and thanked the doctor and the group headed to the nearest train station. The walk was slow because Makoto was still a little dazed. The slow pace was perfect for Ami to reflect on what was happening, what had happened, and the B.S. that was ultimately going to happen that had a forty percent chance of killing her.

Outside of the small clinic, Rei and Usagi kept discussing why Rei always had to be the crazy one. Only two years earlier the two would have been yelling and sticking out each other's tongues. While the occasional tongue stuck out, there were smiles instead of screams. The five girls were in their final year of high school and many, _many_ things had changed in the last three-hundred and sixty-five plus days of Rei's self-imposed isolation.

Rei's self-inflicted exile had lead Minako to hang out with Makoto while Usagi had turned to Ami for solace. Originally the third wheel, or the fifth for numerical accuracy, Ami had grown close with Usagi over the last year with the rabbit seeking the water girl's assistance as she began focusing on her school work. Ami's bond with Makoto faded somewhat as their growing and changing interests separated them.

Ami's relationship with Ryo had become official, and then rather serious. Seeing Makoto flounder between so-called boyfriends who had no idea she was their girlfriend on disastrous dates made Ami feel uncomfortable talking about it. Naturally, she seemed drawn to the member of the group who had landed an actual fiancé. Eventually, Ami didn't see Minako or Makoto much after school.

The final nail in the coffin that turned her friendship into an acquaintance was when she heard from a classmate about the death of Makoto's closest friend and sempai, Shinozaki Uzaki. It was at that point that Ami had silently conceded Makoto's decision to confide in Minako. It seemed that Minako and Usagi had also drifted apart, although Ami couldn't put her finger on why. These events and the reactions of the Senshi in question seemed to somewhat polarize the two pairings. While they were always cordial whenever they saw each other, the closeness from their Senshi days seemed like a distant memory.

Then, one week earlier, Rei Hino reached out to each of them. Plans, study sessions and dates were all dropped on the spot as the other four bolted to the Shrine. In the blink of an eye, it was as if the previous year hadn't even happened. The gang was all back together again! But sadly, like waking up from a miserable dream, it all came crashing down when another dream spoke of the figure with the red blade, and that miserable dream just happened to come true.

In the week between the dream and the encounter, the five had met up at Rei's shrine every single day. They practiced their transformations, their attacks and their teleport spell. They also chatted. It was during these chats that Ami saw how the others had changed and grown as individuals.

Minako had changed the least. While she had grown to be the second tallest of the Inner Senshi, she was still her silly old self with her tell-tale red bow always in her hair. She floundered in her studies, dreamed of attending a major arts university abroad, longed to become either a singer or an actress and prided herself as the captain of the Juuban High Girls' Volleyball Team. It seemed at times that she had focused so hard on perfecting her English that she had started forgetting her Japanese…

"_Myeeehhh_…" Rei said as she made a ridiculous face at Usagi, causing her to laugh with a mouthful of Ramune. The fiery priestess had cooled down quiet a bit during her year away from the other four. She even managed to let go of some of her pride and genuinely confide in them. She still did less than average at the T.A. Academy for Girls and seemed to care even less about her sub-par marks. She even spoke of how she was waiting for Yuuichirou to ask her to marry him.

Alas, poor Yuuichirou. Yuui had taken Rei's isolation the worst, leaving the Shrine and then getting kicked out of his parents' house. His years of hard labor under the training of Rei's grandfather allowed him to work as a mover for a touring rock band, but the constant reminder of Rei's absence and the abundance of free alcohol after the shows lead him into a downward spiral that ended when Rei found him sleeping in a park. That was the incident that snapped her out of her exile.

Shortly after the final battle with Chaos, Rei's two crows, Phobos and Deimos, had died. Barely a month after that, her cousin Ibuki was killed when he accidentally disturbed a giant hornet nest in the forest. In her despair, she had foolishly pushed away those closest to her, fleeing the fear of losing another person dear to her heart in favor of the false security of being totally alone. After the revelation of her dream and the symbols on their foreheads, Rei finally opened up to her friends, bridging the final remaining gap.

But not all of the new bridges were solid. Ami and Makoto were still at odds over the aftermath of Shinozaki's death. Ami noticed how the giant of the group had become silent, reserved and introverted with bursts of moxy when engaged. It was almost laughable how feeble her attempts to fit the mold of her old self were. Almost…

The remaining member of the group, Usagi Tsukino, had changed the most. The changes weren't as apparent to Ami as she had been there through the entire transformation, but they were still apparent to anyone who wasn't a blonde rabbit of the moon. Usagi still tensed up slightly during thunderstorms and mused about the world of candy where the ideas of candy came from, but she no longer let such distractions hinder her for more than an instant. She had adopted Ami's habit of doing homework on the train ride home if there was sitting room available and a healthy paranoia of pop quizzes that had her marks soar to between a high B and a low A average.

During the earlier phases of the academic transformation, the two had become frustrated when study kept encroaching on girl time and ruining plans. Eventually, the blonde got the crazy idea of studying on her own and relying on Ami to sniff out gaps in the knowledge, or if need be, remedy any mysteries of academia that Usagi was unable to solve by herself. Soon, Ami was spending more time tutoring Usagi on the Sailor V game at the Crown Arcade than on actual school work. The two were supposed to have a special celebration to mark Ami quitting cram school to focus on life when Rei had come into play again.

Ami absolutely hated herself for the way she felt. She had always been the good one, the understanding one, the ultra-rational one who could remove emotion and look at things from a purely logical viewpoint. She felt threatened by Rei's return and couldn't help but think about how soon Usagi would lean on Rei as her replacement Naru, who had moved to Chiba before the start of high school. She had allowed herself to feel and be happy and accept her own self worth as an insider, not that sixth person on a five person team looking in from the outside of the court while the others were cheered as they won the game with Ami's game plan.

But when it all came down to it, it was Rei who had died protecting Usagi against Chaos. Ami had been too far away and ended up taking the fatal blows for Sailor Star Maker instead. She had muttered 'to save important people' but hadn't meant a syllable of her last precious breaths for the Starlight who had nearly left her to die fighting a Phage alone. She knew that the Starlights were far more powerful and had the best chance of keeping Usagi alive, and that seemed to keep a spec of hope that the Inner Senshi could be revived, too. And as long as Ami was alive, she could protect her best friend who was an idiot who needed protection.

As good as Mamoru had been at protecting Usagi, he was almost never around, focusing on his passion to become a doctor in addition to an electronics major, which would allow him to design new medical technology. He was obsessed with neurosurgery as modern methods that weren't available thirteen years before may have saved his parent's lives.

He had diligently and relentlessly saved money from his short career as a model to get an apartment, a motorcycle, and loads of textbooks as his inheritance was often contested in court by his relatives. He had eventually landed an internship in America that would have afforded on the job training and opened doors to the final step in his plans to get accredited at an American medical school. That all came crashing down when Galaxia made him disappear for several months and he had to start from working at a local company with a reputation of disappearing.

"_Oof!_" Ami had become so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Usagi maneuver in front of her and come to a sudden stop, causing a slight collision. This annoying habit was another quirk that Usagi had developed in the last year. "_Gah!_ Stop doing that."

"You were in orbit, brain case," Usagi replied, playfully tapping Ami's forehead.

"Oh." Ami smiled weakly. "You know me. Always analyzing things."

"What kind of things," Makoto asked.

"Our black Power Ranger on the loose in Tokyo."

"This sucks," Rei added in agreement. "Not only does school start again tomorrow, but we got Mr. Ninja to worry about."

As much as it was an important subject, Ami did not want to discuss it. Not just yet. Why couldn't she enjoy a Sunday morning with her newly reunited friends, whom she hoped wouldn't eventually push her back into the position of the odd man out. "I miss Ryo." The other girls looked at her oddly and Ami over exaggerated her embarrassed response by walking ahead of and away from the group. Usagi scampered up next to her.

"As a friend," she asked in a whisper.

"You _know_ he means more to me than that," Ami whispered back, not even trying to hide her indignation.

"Well, I just thought that, umm…"

"Thought _what_, exactly?" Ami knew Usagi could put things together if she paid attention and didn't have her head in the clouds. Ami's patience had been tested the entire week with having to share Usagi with three other strained acquaintances and the next upcoming string of conflicts that would undoubtedly cause pain, injury and missed free time, and that was the best case scenario. The thing that bugged her the worst was that Usagi might be onto something even if Ami didn't want to admit it herself.

Ever since an unresolved incident that had happened just before Ryo had left for America to study abroad for a year earlier that summer, Ami had confided in Usagi, exclusively and explicitly. While she still had hopes of becoming Ami Uwara one day and championing the notion that married women could also hold a job, she had to wonder if she was just wasting her youth on something that might go nowhere.

Ami winced at the thought of her own tone with Usagi. _Way to pull a Rei_. _Keep it up and you'll be the fifth wheel again in no time._ "Just don't worry about it right now," she said while Usagi was still fumbling with an appropriate reply.

"I didn't mean to pry, but you are dressed to kill… _hey!_" Usagi scowled at the other three who had discreetly closed the distance. "It's not nice to spy!"

Ami smirked. "And back to normal."

"It's not nice to keep secrets," Minako said.

Makoto seemed to fidget at the remark. Ami shrugged. "It's nothing to worry about." If Makoto wanted to come clean about her secrets, there was no need to antagonize her about it further. Ami understood that she was in pain over the life changing loss and was able to bury her own indignations about not being trusted with how her colleague felt. After all, the five were trying to repair their ties with each other, not hold stupid grudges.

"The guy from my dream," Rei mused. "That's something to worry about. We can nit pick our little qualms and what not later."

"I agree," Minako stated in a matter of fact tone, almost causing Ami to snicker. "Ami-_chan_, what do you think about this new threat?"

She shrugged. She didn't _want_ to think about it. "I'm still going over the data, or lack there of, in my head." _Maybe that'll keep them off of the subject_.

"What about you," Makoto piped in while looking at Usagi.

_Damn_…

"I dunno…" she replied as a smile crept onto her face. "I guess he just ran away because we were too strong for him."

"No, it was a mistake. He fell from the sky and probably doesn't know our language. He tried to run from me before I was even transformed. Not because he's weak, but because he didn't want to fight."

"You're not letting that little bump addle your brain," Minako mused, "are you?"

"No."

"Or that kiss," Rei asked.

"No…" She blushed slightly. "It's just, well, I guess he was sad to have hurt me. He shook his head as if disappointed when a true enemy would have cut my throat wide open." She scowled at Rei. "Besides, I don't find the taste of weeks of morning breath to be a turn on."

"He did seem surprised when I said something in his own language." The group noticed Ami going another direction. Rei didn't bother hiding her annoyance by Ami ignoring her. "Hey, where are you going?"

She'd had enough for the morning and wanted to be alone with her thoughts. She turned her head and forced a smile. It was a well practiced fake smile. "Just going to Akihabara for a while."

"Hey," Usagi said, "I'll go with you!"

"Uh, no thanks. I, uh, need time to think. Everything's fine, though. Just need a bit of peace and quiet to process, you know?" She pointed at her head. "Gotta process the data in my own way. See you all at lunch!"

*.*.*

Usagi looked off as her friend ran away from them. Away from _her_. She knew she was digging when she asked the question, but her mind and mouth weren't in sync that morning. Then again, they usually weren't in sync regardless of the time of day. At first, Ami had come to her about her relation with Ryo. She told Usagi everything. Usagi blushed slightly at the memory, as Ami had told her _everything_... Then over the summer, she seemed to stop talking about Ryo altogether. Most amazingly and alarmingly, she was talking to other boys and initiating small talk with them. Then there was her outfit that morning.

While the others had dressed casually with almost no time to get ready between the early wake up call and guiding a semi-conscious Makoto to the doctor, Ami was in a tulip-yellow mini-dress with matching heels. And while the girls were worrying about Makoto's diagnosis, Ami had expertly applied an attractive and subtle coating of make-up. Usagi had almost been foolish enough to openly ask if she was going guy hunting but was luckily interrupted by one of her friends.

While almost everything else over the past week, aside from a new threat, was peachy with joyful reunions and reconciliations, Usagi had to admit to herself that she and Ami were for some odd reason strained. Was the Senshi of Ice _jealous_? Although she felt that Ami knew herself to be the odd one out, she never talked about it. After the group disbanded, the two had become close. It was like Usagi and Naru had become Usagi and Ami. Although it was silly and petty, Usagi had learned much about the complexities and fallibilities of human emotion. Perhaps Ami was afraid of being pushed aside again. After all, Usagi had been a rather blind person for the first seventeen years of her life when it came to the feelings of others...

Before she could analyze the situation any further, Makoto broke the silence. "'Everything's fine,' she says. 'Bullshit,' me says. We'll ask her about it later."

Rei blinked curiously. "You really think something's bothering Ami?"

"It's our last year together. We have a new enemy coming. Ami applied for a college in Germany. It's all probably hitting her now."

"What's hitting?"

"We may not be together for much longer. And just like Motoki and Reika, Ami might end up in Germany when Ryo finally comes back to Japan." Makoto shook her head. "Look, I'm sure things'll turn out okay. I mean, we've all died at least twice." Makoto started laughing. "You know, it _really_ hurt both times!" The other girls started to sweat slightly at the odd ramblings of their friend. Perhaps the doctor was wrong about there being no concussion. "It's really odd when you're heart just stops after getting electrocuted or when an energy blade saws right through your chest and blasts your star seed right out!"

"Mako-_chan_," Minako said, "you need a nap."

The three shared a laugh and didn't notice Usagi's late and forced addition to the chorus of chuckles. They hadn't seen themselves through Usagi's eyes as they lay dying, their bodies fading away into nothingness. Any joy or humor in Usagi's heart had given way to fear and sorrow, but she kept up her pretend laugh regardless.

_How could you laugh about something like that..._

*.*.*

As Pethospoe's knowledge of _Nihongo_ slowly solidified, he began to understand the phonetic system of the Japanese people. He was in the electronics district of Tokyo called Akihabara and he couldn't have picked a better spot to absorb the language. There were viewing monitors called _telebi_, books, and _lots_ of people to speed up the process. For nearly three hours, Pethospoe stood next to a _telebi_ for audio stimulation while looking at the squiggles in a romance/fantasy novel about a winged horse called a Pegasus by a girl named Tomoko Takase. As time progressed, the squiggles turned into sounds and letters. The Japanese actually had a hybrid reading system of purely phonetic letters and logograms side by side! He had never encountered a written language like that in all of his travels before.

In addition to the uniqueness of the Japanese written language, Pethospoe was absolutely mesmerized by the excellent story telling of the young author whose work he was reading once the words and sounds made sense to him. In three hours he had torn through the book, learned most of the Japanese language, the Hiragana and Katakana alphabets, and the basic 1,800 Kanji used by them. It was now time to pick a name, an identity and interact with the inhabitants as one of their own.

Tetsuya Journey, natural-born citizen of Japan, only child of a U.S. Marine and a British Literary Scholar, was born. Pethospoe Jirghy was a memory and the Klijargans were hundreds of light years away on an invasion path running tangent to a giant bubble protecting Earth with most of their efforts pointed on the Hyuitian front. Planets like Earth that were heavily populated and had terrible space technology were often skipped and contact prohibited until the world attained space travel. The Terrans had world-based communications in a hand-held cellular phone but had never even landed a man or woman on Mars. Warp Speed and even Jump technology, the ability to instantaneously go from one place to another, were still just popular science fiction. Even if the Klijargan Empire encapsulated the space around Earth, he doubted that Earth would ever make contact with Klijarga within his long lifespan.

_Time to actually create my identity_. Tetsuya chanted an intricate magi-techno spell as he took out a small microchip. With his utterances, the chip would create records, brief memories and even electronic files about him. After the spell was cast and the whole world was tricked into accepting one more inhabitant, the microchip disintegrated in a puff of black smoke and false but convincing memories flooded Tetsuya's mind. _So, I'm a transfer student to Juuban High from Narashino High in Chiba Prefecture_. Tetsuya now needed something to eat as he hadn't actually eaten in over six weeks. The smell of a fast food place called McDonald's, but pronounced Makudunarudosu by the Japanese, made Tetsuya's stomach growl. _Lemme see how these people eat!_

Tetsuya hurried off, unaware of his stalker...

*.*.*

Luna flicked her tail to show her interest and agitation. Surely there was something aloof about the stranger. His identity and features were torn from her memory as he walked away from her, and she was helpless to the compulsion to not follow. She knew the type of spell that was being projected and knew the compulsion would wear off. She would find him again. Somewhere, somehow, someway, she would find him again and...

_Lost it_... She lowered her head in defeat. At least she knew that something wasn't right. And since she had been through too much to believe in coincidence, she knew that it had something to do with the bloke who had fallen from the sky and that shadow thing from Rei's dream. But _what?_ Memory spells were such an easy and convenient cop out, or an utter pain in the ass. It was all relative to which side of the spell you were on...

*.*.*

*.*.*

*.*.*

Strings of letter masses called words from the Author!

I am really getting aggravated with 's spacing system. Although they openly frown upon USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS FOR YELLING, they want you do double space for a line break as it would seem that indentations are banned. Also, '* * *' seems to be banned, too. So I gotta do '...' on its own line to show a section break within a chapter. Now, not having to _use_ **HTML** encoding is a huge blessing that I have to deal with on dA.

And now let me actually talk about the chapter itself...

This was originally called Tetsuya Is Born. Well, Tetsuya isn't supposed to be the MAIN main character. It should be Usagi, although I am very partial to Ami, Rei and Hotaru. But as long as its not Tetsuya. He's here, and he's important, but he's not the end all of the antagonist's goals. Usagi is.

Now, this focuses more on what's happened to, and between the Inner Senshi over the time after Galaxia's rescue from the clutches of Chaos. And yes, Tetsuya creates his Earth identity and absorbs the language. But mostly, it's about the Inner Senshi's inner relationships with each other, and it is very biased towards Ami's point of view with a bit of perspective from Usagi. Don't worry, this whole invasion thing is going to really hit Usagi the worst of the Senshi and in a very personal way. She is Sailor Moon. The story is about her and the conflict surrounds her, not Tetsuya, and not Ami, Rei or Hotaru.

Really, not much else to say about this piece. It speaks for itself. Makoto goes to the doc, the group has their inner monologues (well, I only wrote out Ami's and Usagi's), Pethospoe uses a powerful magic-technological spell to become Tetsuya Journey, and Luna is unable to track the person with a strange aura. Roll the credits!

*.*.*

Ah. So *.*.* works. Yay... I'll take it over HTML encoding ANY day of the week!


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three  
**_It's Never a Coincidence..._

_She'd better not have followed me_...Ami hated lying to her friends. She hated it even more that she had become so damned good at it in the last week, and it seemed that the doornail of the pack, Makoto Kino, was the one who seemed to see right through her the fastest. Just like Usagi, Makoto could pick up on things if she really put an effort into it, and not having to think too hard but rely on instinct and experience helped. Just like cooking or reading Ami's little giveaways, Makoto had both on her side in spite of the two's silent falling out.

_Well, no sign of Usagi_. The morning's warm late August breeze ran tenderly through her short blue hair as she sat down on a bench under the shade of a tree. She had taken a train to Akihabara to make sure she would have a bit of time alone. The sensation of the wind rustling her hair and grazing her bare legs and arms went unnoticed because of her concentration on the scenery around her. She was hell bent on thinking about anything _but_ what she should have concentrated on as a Sailor Senshi and the small hand guide to nature and art that she had read forwards and backwards would help her get to that mental state of escape she so desperately craved.

It failed miserably for the first time she could remember. Then again, an agitated look on her brow and her eyes in a book would hopefully repel any wandering strangers from starting an unwanted conversation with her. With all of her summer assignments for school completed the day after they were assigned and studied to near memorization within the next day, she had continued her trend of studying art and nature rather than re-studying crap she had practically memorized. After so many years, she was tired of just studying and studying. What the hell was the point?

It was Sunday, August 23rd, 1998 and her final year at Juuban High would start the following day. The only reason she hadn't started college at the age of fifteen was because her mother was determined that she grow up surrounded by children her own age so she wouldn't become a prestigious doctor with no social skills and die alone in an ocean of regret. For someone who despised art, her mother could come up with some visually stimulating narratives.

For the second time, her plans on studying in Germany were on secret, unofficial hold as once again the calling of Sailor Mercury had her held in place within Juuban. She kept herself from smiling at the thought. Although she would have loved spending her first year of college studying premed in Germany, her mother and best friend were in Tokyo, and Tokyo University wasn't anything to scoff at _when_, not if she got accepted. She silently pushed the thought of missing Ryo when he finally came back from America. Germany would never happen. It was just fate. _May that be the worst of my worries!_

Her Ryo had left in mid-July and would not return until after the summer semester of Berlin University started. Even though this was no longer an issue, thoughts of ending her relationship with Ryo plagued her mind. They still had so much in common and might still be friends. She doubted it, though...

Ami sighed and hit the book against her forehead. She would get no inspirations for poetry or music despite the pleasant scenery and the brilliantly written book she had read several times over due to her overactive brain spinning way off course. She was plagued by so many thoughts, so many new pieces of information to analyze and over-analyze as life tried to fly by her. She wanted to think about pursuing something new, or perhaps _someone_ new. She loved Ryo, but he had made it apparent that he didn't quiet love her the same way she loved him. Why wait for something that probably wasn't even there? But did she really have the guts and the meanness required to send him that dreaded 'John Deer' letter? Or was is a 'Dear Jim' letter? Minako would know...

While she had had an eye for Ryo for years, there were other potential suitors, but none of them ever panned out and the last one had turned out to actually be a woman from another world. In the end, a surplus of curiosity and hormones with an overall lack of adult supervision and the catalyst of a pending separation had led her and Ryo to a secret shared experience. It was such a strange thing, such a penny-novel way to start a romantic relationship, but it _had_ happened, and only they and Usagi knew about it. It was all she had ever known in the realm of love. Could she really walk away from it?

Ami stared unseeing at the cover of her book as she focused on her best friend. For all her faults, shortcomings, screw-ups, foolish notions, childish beliefs and all around idiocies, Usagi Tsukino had irreversibly changed Ami's life for the better. Despite her lack of manners, grace, sophistication, table manners or social tact, she shined like the light of the moon. It was not a coincidence as she was, in fact, the Sailor Senshi of the moon itself and future queen of Crystal Tokyo.

Before that fateful day at _juku_ when Ami had learned that she was the reincarnation of Sailor Mercury, her life had been an ongoing cycle of studying, cram school, acing pathetic 'tests' and berating herself incessantly the few times she got an answer wrong. While it had its advantages at first to help her cope with her parents divorce by ignoring it, it ended up consuming nearly six years of her life. Even after becoming a Senshi, she had squandered so many opportunities because cram school and studying always took priority.

That didn't end until after the cataclysm that split up the Senshi for a year. During the isolation, Usagi and Ami had gravitated to each other, Usagi's spark of life rubbing off on Ami and helping her come out of her shell while she was able to imprint _some_ of her study habits on Usagi. It was wonderful and horrible all at the same time. Ami hated admitting to herself that she almost preferred not having to deal with all the others as they naturally pushed her aside without even realizing it. Obviously she was the one with the problem, and once again she was forced out of her comfort zone. Maybe she really was perfect for someone like Ryo…

"Excuse me," a young man's voice said, shattering her concentration like a light bulb hitting the sidewalk, "but what are you doing reading on a day like this? School doesn't start until tomorrow."

Ami gazed up from her closed book and saw a foreigner. "Ahh..._Hello. My name…is Ami Mizuno_." Although not as fast or fluent as Minako, she was proficient in her understanding and speaking of English as it was Europe's primary shared language, and Germany was smack-dab in the middle of Europe.

"_Mai neimu...iizu..._Tetsuya Journey. _Herro_," The stranger mumbled poorly in English as he smiled a charming smile. "I don't speak English all that well."

"Oh, what nationality are you?"

"Japanese."

"Huh?" _What are you trying to pull?_ Ami arched an eyebrow at the remark.

The young man chuckled. "You asked my nationality, which is legally Japanese. My family name is Journey. It's...uh, British. However, I was born in Chiba, and I've never really even left the main island before. My name is Tetsuya. It's nice to meet you for the first time, Ami." Tetsuya bowed to Ami, and she bowed back from where she at on the bench. "Back to my question."

"Oh, I just had a lot on my mind." _And now I have you on my mind_. Tetsuya was about her height, which meant he was probably in his first year of high school or even still in junior high. He had a lean build, which was probably why he had a long-sleeved skater shirt on. His jeans were loose but not saggy and the cuffs were hemmed, but not by the manufacturer. _Definitely to allow you to grow, kiddo. Alright, Romeo, Jr. I'll play your little game for now._

"That probably isn't helping your efforts to absorb the words by hitting them into your forehead."

"Oh...well..."

"Besides, books are for cold and rainy days."

_Thanks for not leaving me to hang_ _after calling me out, twerp_. "Then what are sunny days for?"

"Making good use of young and healthy limbs. Would you like a slightly more interactive distraction from the world?"

Ami chuckled, still slightly embarrassed about the forehead remark, but at least she had grown out of breaking out in hives when trying to talk to boys or read a love letter. "I have more than enough troubles to forget and I guess I could use the reprieve."

"Okay. Say, where do you go to school?"

"Juuban High. It's my _senior_ year."

Tetsuya's eyes lit up. "Hey! I just transferred from Narashino High. I'm a third year student as well."

Ami's smile remained in place due to sheer willpower. _I don't appreciate liars. It's my turn to call you out before I _chuck_ you out!_ "You mean Junior High?"

Tetsuya pouted slightly. "Not all _gaijin_ are six feet tall with blue eyes and blond hair." He produced an ID card from Narashino High. "162 centimeters, 49 kilos, seventeen years of age."

Ami smiled a lopsided grin at him. _I guess you check out, after all. Maybe his parents are waiting for a delayed growth spurt. _"Well, if we're in the same class, we'll be seeing a lot more of each other."

"That'd be fun."

"_Hai_." Ami then had an idea. "Say...Tetsuya...what are your plans for now?"

"Me? Return to my apartment by eight so I can check in with my parents by phone."

"Do you wish to meet some of my friends who also go to Juuban High over lunch?"

He smiled warmly. "Sure. Where are you eating?"

"Just a small deli near the Hikawa Shrine back in Juuban."

"Well, when do we eat?"

"About one." Ami looked at her watch. "So, in two hours time. How about we go window shopping for awhile and get to know each other better?"

"You bet!" Tetsuya was grinning from ear to ear.

_Way to go, Ami. Playing it cool!_ Ami smiled. She found Tetsuya to be somewhat attractive, although she wasn't too keen on his buzz haircut. Maybe he only did that during the summer to keep cool, but the lack of length in his hair _and_ legs made him a sharp contrast to Ryo along with his bright personality. She also wondered if she was entertaining her thoughts of breaking up with Ryo a little too seriously. Then again, she was almost a grown woman, perfectly capable of making her own decisions. She looked into his hazel eyes which almost looked green because of the green shirt he was wearing. "You like electronics?"

"_Hai_! My dad used to call me '_chibi-destruct-o-boy_' because I kept tinkering with things as a child. Never could get the 'reassembly' part down..."

"Well, promise me you'll behave yourself and we'll go window shopping."

"I'll do my best..." Tetsuya offered his hand, but Ami stood on her own.

"Oh, sorry, but I have a boyfriend. Just so we're clear."

Tetsuya's smile died down slightly. "Oh. I'm sorry, too. But that doesn't me we can't still be friends."

"Of course."

"So does Mr. Mister also go to Juuban High?"

"He's studying abroad."

Tetsuya's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "...a-ha!"

Ami winked at him with a cute-annoyed smile. "No."

"...ah." Just as quickly, it was December 26th in his twinkleless eyes. "Well, you can't blame a guy for trying."

*.*.*

A few shops with agitated and disappointed shopkeepers started their morning. At noon, the two caught a train back to the Juuban area and took a leisurely stroll with a stop for ice cream. Oddly, the only flavors had been green tea and sweet potato. Tetsuya tried a scoop of each. He tossed the green tea and smiled as the yam flavored cream saved the day. Ami felt the same way about the ice cream. Just another thing the mismatched odd couple found they had in common. The two tossed their sub par cones simultaneously as they entered a small American deli called Subway. Tetsuya looked at the group assembled before him. Including himself, there would be eight people seated at a table capable of seating nine, a rather odd number. It was a fleeting thought that would be forgotten as the old definition of odd would keep becoming normal as newer, odder oddities continued streamlining into play...

"_Mina-san_," Ami chimed, "this is my new friend, Tetsuya Journey. He's a transfer student to our school and a third year student."

As Ami and Tetsuya sat down, the blonde with two pig tails and buns similar to Sailor Moon's hair style shot Ami an inquisitive look that got a glare back from her. _Girls...go figure... _Tetsuya and the group performed their bows and introductions. He explained to them about his unique citizenry before entering into a sea of small talk and banter with a group of strangers and one friend he knew almost nothing about.

Tetsuya sat between Ami and the raven haired Shinto priestess Rei Hino. She went to a private school and was immediately seen as off limits as she opened up about her 'dearest' Yuuichirou Kumada. Despite this, Tetsuya caught her giving him strange stares throughout the opening round of chatting. She was in a very ridiculously attractive red outfit that left her belly button exposed. 'Cute' was not the word that came to mind as her color seemed to be red. As much as Tetsuya would have liked it, he knew that her glances and stares weren't out of that sort of an interest in him.

Directly across from him sat the couple of Usagi Tsukino and Mamoru Chiba. The way the two looked at each other made it seem like they had just hooked up, but they had actually been together for nearly four years. Although she was incredibly pretty, Tetsuya put those thoughts even further away than with Rei. Usagi and Mamoru were getting married and starting a family, and nothing would stop that as long as they both drew breath. He felt an odd protectiveness of the two but ignored it. It wasn't his place to be their guardian angel. Usagi wore the exact same outfit as Ami. Either the two were really close or bitter rivals. Mamoru wore slacks and a Polo shirt that showed off his build, making Tetsuya feel a bit under dressed even though it was a fast food deli.

Next to Usagi sat her childhood friend Naru Osaka and her long term boyfriend, Umino Gurio. Umino went to school in Shinjuku while Naru had moved and transferred to Narashino City in Chiba. For some odd reason, she never made small talk about how they had 'switched' schools and she might run into his old friends, old friends he had never seen before. Perhaps it was a guardian aspect of the identity spell he had cast earlier that morning. Naru was in the same 'off-limits' area as Rei and Usagi. Naru wore a blue dress with a green ribbon that beautifully complimented her red hair and crystal blue eyes. Umino's choice of khakis and sleeveless button up shirt made Tetsuya feel shorter, scrawnier and even more of a scrub. By shaving off his facial hair, his voice was the only remaining mark that he had even _reached_ puberty...

The last member of the group present was the cheery, confident and randomly flighty Minako Aino. She seemed to go from being irrelevant to absolutely engaging depending on the subject being discussed as the group awaited the arrival of the last two members. She was very talkative and after a few minutes, Tetsuya knew she was yet another senior at Juuban High, the captain of the Girls' Volleyball team and a flounder in her studies. She was also going to a dance in three weeks with 'that one guy.' Tetsuya never caught his name as she went off onto another silly tangent. _Perhaps she was taught to act that way by her parents. Not all aspects of all cultures value a smart woman_._ Then again, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to hit a ball and count to three..._

Everyone at the table with the exception of Mamoru was a third year student and with the exceptions of Rei and Mamoru were current or former members of the Juuban school system. The group had stayed close and Tetsuya felt a sense of peace and security knowing he had been adopted into the group by Ami, who was eventually confirmed as a close friend and not a bitter rival of Usagi's. Tetsuya was interested in finding out how Rei and Mamoru had been 'adopted' into the group as they weren't part of the Juuban 'clan.' He never got the chance to ask as another young woman approached the table and gave him an inquisitive stare after observing only one remaining empty seat...

"Please forgive my late arrival," an unfamiliar voice said.

"_Konnichiwa_," the group resounded. A ponytail-braided girl with sea green hair wearing round glasses, jean shorts and a green halter top walked in. A shiny ring on her left fourth finger, called the ring finger on Earth, made it clear that she was in the off-limits group with Usagi, Rei, Naru and Ami. He wasn't too convinced about Minako, though...

"Hi everybody. I see Mako-_chan_ is still not here. Oh," she looked at Tetsuya and bowed before recounting the number of seats, "do you understand Japanese?"

"Actually," Tetsuya said, bowing in return from his sitting position, "I'm Japanese by birth. My parents moved here from America. I've never left the main island. As a matter of fact, my English isn't very good. They raised me to be Japanese, so they never taught me their birth language."

"How interesting. My name is Tomoko Takase. Nice to meet you. How do you do?"

"I'm Tetsuya Journey. Nice to meet you. How do...Tomoko Takase?"

"_Hai_."

"Oh, I just finished your second novel this morning."

"Really? Well, would you like an autograph?"

Tetsuya looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Only if you don't mind." He pulled the book out of his bland black backpack.

"Not at all." She then arched an eyebrow. "You read romance novels?"

"It was a dare from one of my old flings in Chiba. I ended up liking this book, though."

"It wasn't too mushy for you?"

"Well, I liked the insight into a female's point of view."

"Aha! I see. But, don't the other boys razz you about it?"

Tetsuya shrugged and smiled. "I'm a foreigner. I get razzed all the time. Japanese people call me _gaiko_, and other whites call me egg for some reason. As long as it doesn't come to blows, I think nothing of it." _Egg?_ Tetsuya comprehended Earth and Japan on an instinctual level thanks to the power of the spell the now disintegrated microchip had helped him cast that morning along with his weird emulation abilities. Comprehending them on a more conscious level would take time and getting used to. What the hell did eggs have to do with anything?

The group sat down again and started to discuss topics when Tetsuya noticed what Tomoko had been looking at. "Everybody, uhh, I believe that since my invitation was not properly communicated, your friend Makoto doesn't have a place to sit."

The group looked at the full table of nine as Tomoko stood up. "Makoto is probably late because of me. I'll pull up a chair to the edge of the table."

"That's okay," another voice said, "I'll pull up the chair." Makoto Kino, a tall, athletic girl with curly, auburn hair then made eye contact with Tetsuya and a pink glow with a hint of irritation crossed her face. "Uhh, _Hai. Mai neemu izu_..."

Tetsuya smiled. "I don't understand English very well. Please speak Japanese."

"Wow! I can't even tell you have an accent."

"I don't. My parents moved here from America before I was born. I've lived here all my life. Never even left the main island." _How many times am I gonna have to say this?_ _Maybe I should've just landed in New York City..._

Mokoto bowed. "My name is Makoto Kino. Nice to meet you. How do you do?" She didn't seem too sincere, but maybe she just didn't feel comfortable around strangers. Despite the cold reception, Tetsuya felt at ease that one person hadn't dressed up for the meeting. She had well broken in shoes, knee length black gym shorts and a gray t-shirt that said 'Party Like It's 1999.' To finish the mismatch, she wore an absolutely beautiful pair of pink rose earrings. They didn't shine like a gem, but they clearly weren't made of plastic, either. He almost felt as if they had a magical aura about them...

"Tetsuya Journey. Nice to meet you. How do you do?" _This girl looks familiar to me. Perhaps I saw her in the streets, maybe when I pocketed that electric razor. No...her?!_ Tetsuya looked at the faces of Makoto, Usagi, Rei, Ami, and Minako. _Amazing. I'm in the very presence of all five Sailors_. It wasn't their faces, but their auras that matched, and the earrings and hair styles didn't help hide their identities. When he looked at them again, they looked _exactly_ like the five girls he'd fought earlier that day, and nothing at all like them on a follow up glance. An identity obscuring spell like that required very powerful magic, and one wouldn't normally be able to see past it unless they already knew the hidden identities. One of many perks of having his life being destroyed by his Klijargan captors...

Not that it mattered, though. Boogey men were their problem, not his. He mentally thanked the brutally effective counter magic training he had received from the Klijargans, especially when it came to obscuring identity. If a boogey man did appear, he could make himself scarce or pretend to be knocked out so the Senshi could transform and do their thing. It was hard enough trying to keep a secret identity a secret, after all.

It also meant that they weren't emulators at all, as Earth had no actual comprehension of magic. Rei, who kept weirdly eyeballing him, was just naturally attuned to spiritual auras and was probably sensing his own aura. She'd probably had a dream or vision and was able to learn a few words from him, but why had she spoken in Klijargan rather than the language of his home world? He was anxious to get away from her as she would undoubtedly be nothing but trouble to him.

"Now that we're all here," she said to the group before boring into Tetsuya's soul once again with her gentle yet piercing glare, "why don't you tell us a bit about you?"

_Sorry I rammed into you like that. Please don't eat my soul, I'm still using it_. "Third year high school, transferred to Juuban High, Japanese citizen, American and English parents, stuff like that."

As if on cue, Ami smiled and cut in. "We met this morning. We seem to have a bit in common so we walked around Akihabara for awhile."

Usagi gave a concerned look to Ami but Ami merely glared back again. Tetsuya wondered what the stares were about. _Girls…Always varies between planets and cultures. Either way, can't understand them._

Usagi switched glances. "Rei-_chan_," Usagi asked, "how's Yuuichirou?"

"He's great," Rei replied with a smile after breaking off another stare attack at Tetsuya. "He feels bad about not being able to make it to lunch with repairing the steps of the Shrine and all, but he's moving at full speed again. He promised me we'd go someplace nice for a date next week."

_Lucky guy_. Tetsuya turned his attention to Minako Aino. As the conversation drifted, Tetsuya began to eye his sub sandwich. It was an elongated piece of bread stuffed with vegetables and meats. Although rather odd in shape, it was tasty and filling.

"Hey, Minako," Usagi asked, "any luck with that one guy, or are you still working on him?"

_'That one guy' again?_ _Does he even have a name?_

"Oh, yeah," Minako replied with a grin. "Next Sunday afternoon. We'll go see that new Pixar movie Antz."

"I always think of Pixie Sticks when I hear that company's name..." Usagi sighed. "I wonder which cloud gave life to that idea."

Ami rolled her eyes. "This again?"

"I'm convinced that there is a world on another plane of existence where the ideas for candy come from and no one is going to convince me otherwise."

"Like a collective dream consciousness," Tetsuya asked.

"Nah, more like a series of ideas floating around."

"Just like Queen Mab," Minako interjected. Tetsuya hung onto every word she spoke as she went into the details of the mythological character and her portrayal in Romeo and Juliet as Minako tried to validate Usagi's crazy theory. Tetsuya found himself liking 'smart' Minako enough to not be put off by 'silly' Minako. Mr. That One Guy probably wasn't important like Mr. Mister, anyway...

After a half hour of small talk and banter about everything and nothing at all, the group started to leave for their own final destinations of the day.

"Everybody," Ami started, "who here doesn't have a date to the Community Dance in Shinjuku?" Nobody raised their hand, much to Tetsuya's chagrin. He'd either have to steal away Minako from 'that one guy' or go solo and try and pick up a wallflower.

"Wait," Tetsuya said in a whisper. "What about you?"

"Boyfriend's abroad," she whispered back, "so I made other plans for the evening."

"Hey Ami-_chan_," Makoto said from the exit, "do you have one?"

"Well, you see..."

A smile crept onto her face. "Is he standing next to you, Ami-_chan_?"

"Uhhh..." Ami started to blush slightly, "Tetsuya is a nice guy, but I have plans that evening, so we won't be going as _friends_ since I'm not going at all. Are you going to the dance this year Mako-_chan_?"

The smile died away. "Why? Why not? I don't really care. Never mind...Is our study date still on for tonight at your house with Usagi?"

"Yeah. You don't mind if Tetsuya comes, do you?"

Tetsuya started to retort but Ami stepped on his foot. "I...YOW...uhhh...would like to get to know you better, Makoto." Tetsuya bowed, and Makoto bowed in reply, poorly hiding the familiar combination of pink and irritated.

"See you at the train station, Mako-_chan_!"

"Later, you two" Makoto replied. "Have fun."

Unknown to Tetsuya, Makoto wasn't going to Ami's house to study but rather to do battle with the demons that had left a giant chasm between the two of them. Usagi would have been a perfect mediator, but Tetsuya would have just gotten in the way of things. Then again, if Ami was having guy trouble with Ryo, the two of them might find a little more common ground. Of course, that all depended on her being able to take the train to Ami's...

*.*.*

"You say your mother is a doctor," Tetsuya started, "right Ami?"

"_Hai_."

"Does she treat feet?" Tetsuya smiled and Ami giggled a bit.

"Sorry. I was just thinking on my feet."

"You were thinking on _my_ feet."

Ami chuckled. "Okay. But, uh...Tetsuya? Do you...uhhh..."

"Yes?"

"Girlfriend?" Ami sputtered out.

"Huh?"

"Do you have a girlfriend back in Chiba?"

Tetsuya frowned. "Yes, that's why I was trying my luck with you this morning..."

Ami rolled her eyes and smiled. "Let me rephrase. Is there a particular girl you're interested in pursuing?"

Tetsuya smiled slightly. "Yes, although she's allegedly taken."

Ami scowled. "_Allegedly?!_"

Tetsuya put up his hands. "Easy, I wasn't talking about you."

The scowl remained firmly in place. "Um...you're not thinking about trying to pry one of my friends out of a relationship, are you?"

"Does Mr. That One Guy even know he's going out with Minako?"

Ami blinked a few times. "Oh. Well, I just thought, I mean...I was thinking...uhh..."

Tetsuya stared at her for a moment waiting for her to complete her sentence. "Okay..._what_ are you trying to do?"

Ami blushed slightly. "Well, what are you doing in three weeks?"

"Nothing, really."

"Uhh..." Ami started fidgeting with a question in her mind.

And then it hit him. "Oh. You want me to go with Makoto?"

"Hehe, you guessed it."

"You really aren't good at this cupid stuff, are you?"

"Not really. I'm surprised I was even able to hold a conversation with you. I'm normally not good at stepping up to the plate when it comes to boys I just met."

"Just stepping on them."

Ami smacked Tetsuya in the shoulder. "_Chigayo!_"

"Hey! Easy there, slugger."

Ami playfully stuck her tongue out at Tetsuya.

"My turn."

"Oh?"

"Why are you dressed like that if you're not trying to get a guy's attention?"

Ami winked at him. "No."

"You enjoy shooting me down? Bring a video camera when Makoto laughs at me."

Ami frowned. "She's just, um, shy."

"Blatantly disinterested. She's just like some of the girls from my old school when I came back at the beginning of second year and hadn't grown a millimeter, and I honestly don't blame her. We wouldn't see things eye to eye, if you get my drift."

Ami ignored the awful pun. "Come on. Give her a chance. She'll warm up to you."

"You got some sort of angle on this?"

"Let's just say I owe her one. Please don't tell her that, okay?"

Tetsuya shrugged. "Okay, buddy."

"Thanks, guy."

"Anytime, pal."

"You're gonna kick and scream the whole way, aren't you?"

Tetsuya nodded. "If it actually happens, let's keep the whole Minako thing to ourselves."

"Deal."

*.*.*

"Tetsuya," Makoto started after an awkward silence, "what do your parents do for a living?"

_Thanks for 'missing' the train, Ami!_ "My father is a computer programmer. My mother used to teach English at a high school before meeting my father. Now, she teaches piano lessons."

"Do you play the piano?"

"No. I kind of surprised her when I told her I was learning to play the flute. She was even more surprised when I brought home a wooden Japanese flute." _It's amazing how similar Japan's wooden flute is to the one I learned to play where I was born_.

"She expected the metallic one?"

"Yup. Does Ami often miss trains?"

Makoto did something odd; she smiled. "Nah. She used to come into school half an hour early to study. If she ever did miss the train, she would just be able to catch the next one and hurry to school without being late."

"Never been late, has she?"

"Not once. But starting sometime last year she started to withdraw a bit. Her grades then fell to a high A average. This was low for Ami-_chan_. Apparently, she was having an identity crisis. Hell, we all were. It hasn't been a bed of roses for all of us."

"I had an identity crisis once."

"Yeah. All I did was distance myself from everyone. Minako-_chan_ didn't get the hints and barreled her way back into my heart. She's really something else." Makoto's eyes seemed distant for a moment before she realized she was talking to an almost-stranger. "Oh, um, what did you do about it? Your crisis, I mean?"

Tetsuya shrugged and looked away. "I accepted the fact that I was a foreigner, and would always be seen as one, even if I never have left the main island."

"It hurts when people judge bases on rumors and appearances, _ne?_"

"_Hai_."

"Listen, Ami's boyfriend is in America and I really don't think she actually has plans for the evening of the dance. So why don't you ask her to go with you as a friend? I'll even do all the badgering so she doesn't get upset with you." Makoto stopped when she saw Tetsuya smiling and stifling a laugh. "What is it?"

"You two are really good friends, you know that?"

"We used to be before I pushed her away."

Tetsuya said nothing. All of his training as a Scout in the Klijargan military was utterly failing him as he had started to blush slightly. Had it been an actual mission, he'd be dead. His hypothetical demise aside, he was thrown off a bit by Makoto's admission of her fault in straining the friendship.

"You know, your pale complexion doesn't help you hide when you're blushing."

Back to the matter at hand, Tetsuya steeled himself as best as he could. "Uh...well...That's what she asked me to ask you."

"What?"

"Ami...wants me to...oh, it was so easy in my mind." He knew the mantras to magically alter his perception and give him a false sense of confidence, but he wanted this to be genuine.

"Huh?"

"I'm nervous about this stuff, and you being so cute doesn't help me much. I'm...supposed to ask you out."

Makoto had a slight look of surprise on her face. "You were going to ask me to the dance?"

Tetsuya shrugged. He had always been good with girls as long as three particular words were never uttered. But since he was actually trying to interact with a girl he liked for the first time in his life and not ignore her to minimize hurt, things were _very_ different. "I guess Ami missed the train so I could get to know you just a bit."

"Thanks for the compliment, and no offense, but the last thing I need right now is a boyfriend."

_Ah, so you think you have to save the world again, Sailor Jupiter?_ "Busy with things?"

"Yeah. Things might get pretty intense over the next few weeks for me."

_With saving the world from me?_ Tetsuya shrugged as he turned it into a fight in his head. Throw her off balance and then press the advantage_._ "Yeah. Sometimes, life'll smack you in the back of the head with its sword hilt."

Makoto had a slight shock on her face but managed a smile. "You might say that."

"I know how you feel. You feel like your trapped in an ally and you swing a blunt metal object at life, thinking you can ward it off."

"Uhhh..."

"Then it gives you the foul tasting, groggy kiss of death, worse than six weeks of morning breath, throwing you utterly off balance." Makoto started giggling very nervously. Tetsuya pretended not to notice. _I'd better stop before I give the poor girl a heart attack_.

"Wow. You...uhh...sure know a lot about life, Tetsuya."

"It often wears a mask, but you have to get past that to learn about it."

"Yeah...uhhh...err..."

"So, uh, what do you think about dancing with a guy who's shorter than you?"

"So you _are_ asking me to the dance?"

"...Yeah...?"

"Listen, you're new to Tokyo. I don't think others would take it too well if you were hanging around with me. I'm seen as a bully. I used to get into lots of fights."

"Used to, am I right?"

"Well, yes."

"Then I've got nothing to worry about. Besides, it's just like I said. I'm white, so I'll always have a vocal minority thinking poorly of me. Not that it matters to me, because in one more year, I'll be attending the one and only Tokyo University."

"Tokyo University? That's really hard to get into."

"Well, I studied hard just like Ami did. I didn't have too many friends so I kept my nose in the books."

"For a bookworm, you seem, well," Makoto sized up Tetsuya, "somewhat fit for your size, and you don't seem shy unless you're trying to actually ask someone out. Then it all just collapses. But you made it sound like you got along with the ladies before you stopped growing."

"When you have curly hair," Tetsuya looked up at his short hair, "well, at least when it's not buzzed, getting a date with a Japanese girl is easy. Friends, well, that's a different matter. And as for my body, it's an excellent tool when exercised. My brain does better from it."

"Maybe hit the weights a bit more and eat more protein after your workout. You look like you'd get carried away in a typhoon...Um, look, I don't want to be mean, but I really don't care about dances anymore."

Tetsuya cut her off before she could elaborate. "Ami told me that you had changed over the last two years."

"Oh?" Makoto looked slightly irritated. She crossed her arms in a way that unintentionally emphasized her bust.

_Play your cards right and you'll be hugging that. Play them wrong and you'll be chewing asphalt, and unless Minako likes playing nurse, that'll be out the window, too. _Memories of his nearly disastrous duel with her were _very_ fresh in his mind. "She told me how you used to be a boy crazy girl, always thinking how guys reminded you of your old boyfriend."

Makoto's expression softened up as she looked off to the side. "Well, I guess I still find myself making that comparison." She looked back at him. "You're _completely_ different from him, and yet you remind me of my Sempai, Shinozaki Uzaki, in a way."

"Sempai? A good friend?"

"Yes. He was always there for me in my darkest moments."

"Where is he now?"

Makoto looked away and kept her expression neutral. "He died eleven months ago. He was killed in an explosion. There weren't even ashes left of him."

"I'm so sorry." _That's what happened to_...

"When he died, part of me died with him. Guys just don't make me excited anymore."

"Listen, I don't know what it's like to lose a good friend, but, I'm willing to listen." _Try my entire family. Twice_.

"You're different from other boys."

"Not to run the 'white factor' into the ground, but how could I possibly grow up like a normal Japanese boy? But, we are truly different, you and I."

"Yes. Sempai was different, too. I guess that in all my crushes, I never realized that the reason I felt different about him was because I loved him. I just didn't know it."

"Makoto, please don't take this the wrong way, but are you sure you're not hiding?"

Makoto closed her eyes, leaned back and sighed. "I _am_ hiding. I guess it's hard to walk in the rain alone without an umbrella." Makoto looked over at Tetsuya and smiled. "I think I want to know more about you as a person. You seem to be good with giving advice. Do you heed it yourself?"

He frowned. "I hope so."

Makoto regarded Tetsuya for a second, not sure what to make of his comment. "Listen, Ami-_chan_ seemed set on us going to that dance. I've always wanted to dance with a handsome guy in a pretty dress."

"You want me to put on a pretty dress?"

Makoto started laughing. "That's terrible!"

"Sorry. I get it from my dad. He was a Marine before he moved to Japan. You know how those guys are."

"Well, I guess my mouth isn't very clean, either. Listen, I'll go with you, okay? Just don't get any ideas. We're going as friends, okay?"

_I'll take that_. "You don't mind dancing with a shorter guy?"

"Just as long as you don't mind dancing with a taller girl."

"By the way, can you teach me how to dance?"

Makoto blinked several times. "You can't dance?"

"Nope."

"You're asking me out to a dance but you don't know how to dance?"

He smiled. "Not that I'm complaining, but this wasn't my idea."

Makoto was very pretty when she smiled. "Well, that'll change. I'm sure Ami-_chan_ will be more than happy to show you."

_Ami?_


	5. Chapter 4

From the Author: If you only read one of my blurbs in my author's notes section on my deviantArt account at greydusk00 dot deviantart dot com in the scraps section of my gallery, please read this one. The kind of narrow thinking that plotted out the beginning of this chapter is ignorant, dangerous and widespread.

**Chapter Four  
**_The Onion Was Right All Along..._

Outside of Juuban's central station, Makoto and Tetsuya smiled at Ami when she stepped off of the train. "Sorry about that," she started, "it's not like me to be late."

"So, you and Usagi live around here?" Tetsuya inquired.

"Yeah. Mamoru-_san_ and Mako-_chan_ live east of here. Minako lives near the Hikawa Shrine."

"You all live in Juuban, then?"

"Yeah. Umino does too, but he made it into a small high school in Shinjuku with Naru before she moved to Chiba over the summer. It's like the two of you swapped schools."

Tetsuya smiled, although he felt a bit uneasy about the 'coincidence' that could cause a snare later on down the road if too many questions were asked.

"You could've gone to a better school," Makoto added before Tetsuya could dwell. "Heck, you could've been working on your second doctorate by now."

"My mother wanted me to grow socially as well as intellectually, so skipping a grade was always out of the question. As to _better_ schools, I wanted to be near my friends. I figured that I wouldn't have any trouble making it into Tokyo University because of my national test scores."

Tetsuya silently regarded Ami's statement. _You remained loyal to your allies_.

"It's not polite to stare," Makoto quipped at Tetsuya.

"Sorry," he replied. "It's a lot to take in. Lots of new friends to learn about."

Ami tapped his forehead. "Gotta process it. I know the feeling."

"Hey," Makoto interjected, "I gotta go. I'll see you two tomorrow at school during lunch, okay?" Makoto bowed and Tetsuya and Ami returned the gesture of respect. "Sorry about tonight, Ami-_chan_. We'll make it up later?"

"_Hai_," Ami replied.

"And if I find out tomorrow that you're going out with Tetsuya all of a sudden, it's all good." She winked at them as the doors closed and laughed silently as they both started blushing.

"No love for poor Mr. Mister," Tetsuya mused. _She's avoiding me now_. Tetsuya sighed, unable to hide his embarrassment and irritation. "Thanks for inviting me into your home."

"She's not normally like that," Ami replied.

Tetsuya laughed. "She seems to be in character with the tall young woman you set me up with. Not too boy crazy, but she warmed up to me a bit. So, I asked and she said yes." Tetsuya ran his hand through his hair that wasn't there, a nervous habit of his he carried with him from his life before Earth or Klijarga. "Now this...I think she's just going with me to appease you."

"Great!" Ami started to walk and motioned Tetsuya to follow her. "Get your foot in the door and work on things over the next couple of weeks leading up to the dance. So, what's your sign?"

"Don't worry, we're both Sagittarius and blood type O. If we stick it out and you don't snatch me away..."

"Don't even..."

"...then we should be fine."

"You know, Shinozaki was also a Sagittarius with blood type O. Just be patient with her, alright?"

"Anything you wanna throw my way?"

Ami opened her mouth but closed it and shrugged. "I'll let her decide what to tell you and what to keep to herself."

"Unresolved issues?"

Ami smiled, but her eyes were very blatant about how she felt. "Please, don't."

"Sorry."

"Thanks. I understand what you're trying to do and thanks again for playing along."

"I'll leave it up to her from now on."

"You know, you're a lot like Shinozaki."

"You think?"

She nodded. "You two would have been friends."

"You really think so?" _I can see why Makoto is hiding from me. Maybe I should've tried to steal Minako from 'that one guy' instead of this. My first day on Earth and...this is getting to be a bit too much for me._

"Of course. You see that big apartment complex over there?"

Tetsuya laid his eyes on a group of spacious, luxuries apartments. "Wow. You live in one of those?"

Ami smiled and restrained a laugh. "Nice, huh? I live in that one."

"Right near the gate..." Tetsuya's words were cut off by an explosion. "What the…?!"

"My god, the rail lines!" A plume of fire rose from off to the side.

"_Down!_" Tetsuya grabbed Ami and dragged her to the ground as the cracks of bullets breaking the sound barrier flew where Ami's head had been. Tetsuya rolled with Ami behind the side of a building. "You okay?"

"You saved my life!"

"Go home, I'll get help! Got it?" _I know I'll be seeing you, Mercury_.

"_Hai!_ Be careful!"

*.*.*

Ami slipped into a small alleyway and pulled out her transformation pen. "Mercury Power, Make-Up!" In a flash of blues, Ami instantly turned into Sailor Mercury and fearlessly charged into battle.

Stopping at the corner of a building, she equipped her computer visor, peeked around and gasped at the sight. The stranger from that morning was kneeling, red sword out and free hand open like a claw. Bullets were either bouncing off the pavements or hitting the sword. It was as if he was forcing the bullets towards the sword or away from him, making a protective shield. The stranger charged as soon as the attacker ran out of ammo and cut him down in one blow. Ami ran out and saw a young man in a suit lying motionless on the ground. He was breathing.

"Who are you," Ami demanded.

His voice obscured by a built-in synthesizer, the stranger spoke. "Sorry for attacking you and your friends. I had not absorbed your language yet and was unable to understand you. That is why I ran. I meant no harm."

"HELP ME!" a young girl screamed as she was dragged into view by another man with a pistol held to her head. The man holding the girl hostage was oddly of Arab descent. He was a big man, too. His eyes seemed sunken and his huge hands showed wear and tear from many years of hard labor. Yet he still somehow only looked like he was nowhere past his late thirties. The man whom the stranger had gutted had gray hair and a beard, and was very slender in frame, but was now face down in a pool of his own blood. What were _Arab_ terrorists doing in Juuban? Something obviously wasn't right...

The attacker holding the girl hostage had a blank look in his eyes, as if he were in a trance. "For Allah's glory, I will destroy you. But first, this child dies!" He also spoke in perfect Japanese with only a slight accent. But before Ami could analyze the oddities of the situation, she recognized the girl as Shingo Tsukino's friend, Mika Kayama. _Mika_?_ Oh, no_... "_No!_" Ami looked on in horror as the terrorist pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. She saw that the stranger had his hand held out in a clenched fist. He then lurched his hand up and the gun flew out of the terrorist's hand.

"Knock out!" Small rings of energy flew from the stranger's hands. Mika and the terrorist both collapsed limply to the ground and the stranger caught the pistol in his free hand.

"What are you doing?!" Ami took an aggressive stance toward Journeyman. "Shabbon..."

"The girl will be fine! It was the only way to stop the gunman and save her. Only one innocent is dead, and one attacker still lives to be questioned by the police."

"What are you?"

"Until circumstances dictates otherwise, I am an ally. But, for our sakes, I hope this is the last time I ever see you." He looked at the weapon in his hand and chuckled. "They're the same all across the galaxy. So easy to manipulate." He tossed the gun to Ami and she dropped it immediately, causing it to go off. She jumped in surprise and when she looked back, the stranger was already sprinting away.

"Where are you going? _Stop!_" It was too late to try and catch him as he disappeared around a corner. Ami thought to herself that it would be a good idea if she did a disappearing act of her own.

*.*.*

"Ami!" Ami turned around when she heard Tetsuya's voice. "Are you alright?"

"I couldn't just run home so I called the police."

"Did you see them?"

"Eh?"

"They're back. The Sailor Senshi are back! I saw Sailor Mercury and a masked person fighting the terrorists. The masked one had a sword and deflected the bullets of a gun man. I thought stuff like that only happened on TV!"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm not hurt or anything. Listen, we'd better clear out so that the police can do their work."

"Right…"

The two scurried through a few back allies away from the noise and towards Ami's apartment through an alternate route. "You're hurt."

Ami looked down and saw that she was bleeding from her elbow when Tetsuya had pulled her to the ground. She also noticed a small lock of her own hair on her shoulder. She pulled out her compact and looked in the mirror at where a small lock of hair was noticeably shorter. "Oh...my..." Over exaggerating her surprise, she fell into Tetsuya's arms. "That was _close_..."

"I got'cha."

"Yeah..."

"I..." _I forgot my mantras..._Tetsuya began shaking violently as the realization of what was going on started to overpower the thinning adrenaline in his blood. Klijargan battle mantras had to be spoken or at least audibly whispered to block out the paralyzing effects and memories triggered by combat situations after going through a training process called The Breaking. It made virtually fearless soldiers but also caused irreparable psychological damage. Tetsuya had always been a bit forgetful when it came to post-battle chants. He could come up with some false reason as to the nature of his babble, but his rocketing heart and ragged breathing caused him to see spots. He thought he saw Ami's chest zooming into his vision as everything went to a blurry black.

*.*.*

"Blood pressure appears to be normal again, no signs of trauma or bruising. I guess you just forgot to breathe in all the excitement." Ami's mother, Saeko Mizuno, took off the Velcro armband that had checked his vitals.

"I...I dunno what happened," Tetsuya said softly. "One minute I'm talking with my friend here, and the next, it's kinda blurry. I remember this guy in a black suit with a mask or helmet or something with a red sword. He was somehow blocking machine gun fire and... I don't remember what happened next. I remember seeing Ami and everything just got fuzzy and I couldn't keep my eyes open."

"Well, there's no shame in fainting after going through such a shock."

"How's Ami doing?"

Ami had elected to get ready for tomorrow by taking a bath before Tetsuya had started to come to. Apparently, Ami had thrown him into a fireman's carry. He was skinny enough to be that light, so it would've been like Ami carrying a twin sister.

"Well, first of all, my only child is alive and well because of you. And secondly, she started laughing uncontrollably while you were still out. It's one of many possible post-shock reactions. She'll get over it just fine. Now, as for you, are you sure you can't remember what happened to the attacker firing the gun?"

"Well, not really. I remember him rescuing the girl and making the gun fly out of the second person's hands."

"You're exhibiting memory suppression. It can happen when someone witnesses or survives a traumatic incident like what happened today. You might want to consider seeing a psychiatrist or a hypnotist. That memory is tucked away in your brain and it could pop out at any moment, maybe even at a very inopportune time."

"You're the doctor. I'll get it taken care of. But, can we keep this as doctor-patient confidentiality? I'm not much of a spotlight guy, and being a Caucasian Japanese citizen transferring to a new school is gonna be stressful enough. I'd rather the kids all be buzzing about today's events without me being involved."

"I understand." Saeko hugged Tetsuya in a mama bear hug.

"Hhhuuurrrr..." She let go and helped him to his feet.

"Let me cook the two of you something before I head into work."

*.*.*

Ami clicked in four codes after connecting a specially designed ear piece into her watch that was also a video communicator. The faces of the other four Inner Senshi popped up and hid none of their annoyance, although those features were barely visible due to the watch's already limited resolution being quartered.

"I see you've been very _busy_," Rei chided.

Ami's watch had been discreetly set on busy mode while she carried Tetsuya to her apartment. It would bring up unwanted attention if her watch kept beeping or vibrating incessantly at the time. It was amazing how no one even took notice of them while heading towards the noise and smoke, no one except her mother. "I was preoccupied after the attack," she whispered back.

"Are you...in the bath," Minako asked nervously.

"Only place to talk. Tetsuya's here for the night and..."

"Oh my God, Ami-_chan_?!" Usagi's jaw dropped.

"Hey," Makoto exclaimed. "She's practically an adult and capable of making her own decisions."

"No, wait..." Ami tried to explain.

"She also has a duty," Minako interjected. "You are a Senshi first, and a lover second!"

"It's not like..."

"We all saw how you were with him," Rei shot. "There's no point in hiding it from us."

"You misunderstand..."

"I'm surprised," Usagi said with a hurt look. "Ryo deserves a bit more consideration than this."

"Please..."

"Back off, Usagi," Makoto growled. "Ami's not married to Ryo. What she does with her body and who she does it with is her own business."

"He's with my mom!" She hissed loudly. Ami had just about had as much as she could stand.

"Oh dear," Minako said with a grimmace. "He _is_ seventeen, right?"

"Wh..._what?!_"

"That's Tokyo Prefecture's age of consent," Rei added.

"No..."

"He's underaged," Usagi whimpered. "Your mom could get into really big trouble!"

"Stop..."

"Well," Makoto mused, "I guess we're both out a date for the dance. You should have made your move when you had the chance."

_Why are my friends all idiots?!_ She had tried being nice and polite, but that was getting nowhere. It was time to drop the hammer. "Would you idiots kindly shut your mochi holes and listen to me?!" Three jaws dropped. Usagi had seen Ami lose her temper before, so she wasn't as taken off guard by her remark. She was glad that she had remembered to turn on the bathroom fan to help drown out any stray sound waves, although she was confident her mother would still be busy tending to Tetsuya. Was he even up yet?

"Sorry, but you four wouldn't shut up. Anyways, Tetsuya was unconscious when I came into here. My mom's attending to him. He fainted after the attack was over."

"Not exactly shining knight material," Minako mused.

"Oh, but..."

"I guess a small guy like that is more used to avoiding conflict," Rei wondered aloud.

"No..."

"I guess no one's perfect," Makoto said. "As long as he didn't run away crying and wetting himself."

"Guys..."

"He probably never had the chance being frozen with fear," Usagi said softly. "Poor guy."

They were doing it _again!_ "Mochi holes," Ami hissed. "Please refrain from cutting me off. From the beginning, now. There was an explosion along the rail lines. We both looked and Tetsuya dragged me to the ground as a hail of bullets flew towards us." She pointed at a lock of hair that was shorter than the rest of her bangs. "See how it's shorter?"

"Ohh..." Usagi put her hands over her mouth as a look of terror crossed her face. The other three had looks of amazed shock.

"He then did this thing where he rolled us behind the corner of a building. He ran off to call the police and I transformed. That's when the stranger showed up."

"They're calling him The Journeyman," Minako added. "Funny name. Oh, sorry. Please continue."

"He killed the guy who almost cut me down. It was strange. He was somehow pulling some of the bullets into his sword and pushing others away into the ground around him. He was also able to somehow keep the pistol from the second gunman from going off. He then, I dunno, used telekinesis or something to yank the gun into the air and into his hands. Maybe it's something he can only do with guns. I'll go into details tomorrow at lunch. Now, after the attack, Tetsuya and I met up again. He had seen me as Sailor Mercury during the fight. Well, we started heading out, but he just started shaking violently and babbling some gibberish before passing out."

Usagi started whimpering softly.

"Stop it. You're better than this. I'm perfectly fine."

"Ami-_chan_," she sobbed as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"It was really close," Rei said softly.

"I'm kinda with Usagi on this," Makoto whispered. "I don't want to think about life without you."

"And your eighteenth birthday is just around the corner," Minako added.

"Look," Ami said. "I gotta get going. I think I hear voices. Tetsuya's probably up now."

"Alright," Rei said. "Sorry about accusing you earlier. Shrine meeting tomorrow after school. No exceptions or excuses, everybody!" Rei's image blinked out.

"Rei's it is," Minako said with a wink before her image blinked out.

"Well," Makoto said with a smile, "you know how I feel. If something changes, I'm still willing to go with him as friends. Bye, now!" Her image blinked out, and Usagi's red-rimmed eyes filled the entire watch's small screen.

"C'mon," Ami said. Over the last year, Usagi had graduated from crybaby to whiner. It was okay as she tended to whine while effectively chipping away at a task. "You never whimpered about stuff like this when we were Senshi."

"I was usually the one getting all the close calls."

"And that was what you were crying about."

"Yeah. So selfish of me..."

"And then Tuxedo Mask would save you at the last second."

Usagi closed her eyes as more tears fell. "I can't lose you again," she replied weakly.

"Well, looks like I have my own Tuxedo Mask, so neither one of us have anything to worry about. I just wish he were a bit taller, though. And I'm sure my psychic boyfriend would let me know if I was about to get shot in the head. I'll see you tomorrow, alright, Usagi-_chan_?"

Usagi forced a weak smile and nodded as her image blinked out. The watch became a watch again and let her know it was almost six in the evening. She took the watch off and winced as she lowered her injured hand into the tub, the scrape on her elbow stinging from the hot water. She sighed and closed her eyes when the stinging subsided.

She hadn't heard any voices at all, but she could only deal with so much in a single day. She was touched by Usagi's reaction. Just another reminder of who close the two had become and how much Ami stood to lose when Rei started barging into their lives again.

_Nah, I'm being paranoid. I should probably stop acting so crazy. That's Rei's job, anyways._ She closed her eyes and shut off her brain and just thought about sakura petals slowly falling in the afternoon until she smelled stir fry. She snapped her eyes open and started drying off. She was starving! _I hope it's beef stir fry!_

*.*.*

"Again," Tetsuya said in between bites, "thank you for letting me stay overnight, Ms. Mizuno."  
"Well," Ms. Mizuno replied, "you saved my daughter's life, and the rail leading back to your area of Juuban was damaged in that attack today."

"They're saying it'll be repaired by tomorrow afternoon. How is that even possible?"

"Tokyo, especially the Juuban area, has gotten a _lot_ of practice repairing buildings and infrastructure over the last several years. Things have calmed down a bit over the last year, but you never know when you live here..."

Tetsuya swallowed another bite of over-cooked octopus. It was not meant to be stir fried. _Not gourmet, but it sure beats Klijargan survival rations_. "This is good." _This is edible, but it ain't Subway! I guess hunger _is_ the best spice._ What a luxury. He was able to bitch and moan about sub-gourmet food! He was madly in love with the planet Earth.

"Thank you, Tetsuya."

"Hey, you're back with us," Ami said, walking into the room, "smells good, mom."

_Your cute little nose is sorely misinformed_. Tetsuya looked at Ami. _Uh...wah...wow..._Even his personal thoughts were at a loss for words as he stopped chewing and gawked at her. Ami's hair was forming in small, blue, wavy strands from the bath she had just taken. She was wearing a white t-shirt and boxer shorts. It was obvious that she was not wearing a bra underneath...

Ami gestured at Tetsuya with her eyes reminding him that her mother was in the room, snapping him out of his stupor. Saeko hadn't noticed as she was packing her own meal for work.

"Tetsuya, when you're finished, you can take a bath. If it's too cold, just run some more hot water."

Tetsuya nodded and swallowed, pre-forming his next sentence so as not to sound like a babbling idiot, or Usagi. "Ami, do you know who your teacher is yet? I don't know mine."

"I'm in the advanced class with a new teacher named Masaya Kawazu."

"How many advanced classes are there?"

"Two."

"Fifty percent chance we'll be together." _I'd rather've had us been together in the bath_. Was she coming onto him? Had he just stolen her from Ryo? He knew that saving a woman's life had a huge psychological impact. The expression of 'oh, my hero' was used when a damsel was rescued by the tale's hero on several worlds under Klijargan control, including Klijarga itself.

"Are you looking forward to the beginning of the end?" Ami let out a sheepish smile.

"The what?"

"You know." She sat down next to him with a plate of stir fried _tako_. Right next to him. She smelled like blooming flowers. "The last year of high school. After that, the comforts and securities along with all the restrictions and rules change. The joy and terrors of post-graduation life come afterwards."

"Oh. Sure, why not?"

Ami made a funny face after taking a bite. "Mmmm! Thanks mom!"

"Sure. Well, I'm off, you two!" Saeko headed out without looking back. "_Ittekimasu!_"

"_Itterasshai_," Tetsuya and Ami replied in unison.

"So," Ami continued as the front door closed and made a clicking noise as Saeko locked it, "how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, really. I'm not trying to be macho or nothing like that, either. I'm good now."

"That's good to hear! So, where are you going to college?"

Tetsuya closed his eyes for a second. "Did you even look in the mirror?"

"Huh?"

Without looking, Tetsuya pointed in the general vicinity of her chest.

"It's hot and air conditioning ramps up the electric bill. The rent's bad enough. Besides, didn't you already get acquainted when you passed out?"

"I really fell..." Tetsuya looked at her. While she didn't reply, her reddening cheeks told him everything he needed to know, causing him to blush as well. "Oh."

"So, back to my question."

"Tokyo U. Didn't I tell you that already?"

Ami pursed her soft, vibrant lips in thought then twirled her fingers through her shortened lock of hair. "I think I have valid reason if I forgot a few minor details."

"Oh, right. You're probably going there too, right?"

"I'm pretty sure I already told you that, but probably, yes. Although I've always wanted to go to Germany to study abroad, I just don't see it working out with all the other things going on in my life. But either way you look at it, I'm a shoo-in for wherever I do end up applying. Are you nervous about the Tokyo University entrance exams coming up in March?"

"Nah. The material I've studied just seems to come to me." Tetsuya put in the last bit of his supper in his mouth.

"Finished?" Ami asked.

"I couldn't possibly eat another bite." _If I'm gonna have a standard of living, might as well draw the line somewhere_.

"Me neither." Ami scooped her food that was only missing a single bite from the original serving into a plastic container and placed it in the fridge. In the _bottom_ of the fridge. "_Oi_," she said without looking back. "You're not staring, are you?"

Tetsuya obediently squeezed his eyes shut. "_Gomenasai_..." he whimpered.

*.*.*

_Maybe I am leading him on..._Ami audibly grumbled as she stood up, but she had to wait until she was able to suppress her smile before turning around. "Let me show you to your room. You can wear some of my father's old clothes he left in case we ever had a guest. Just a warning, we never did, and they may smell like mothballs." She tilted her head to the side in thought. "Actually, they will smell like mothballs. Sorry."

Tetsuya smiled, but remained sitting.

"Do you need a minute?"

He started blushing.

Ami winked at him. "No."

*.*.*

_She did that on purpose._ Tetsuya had a strong feeling that she was teasing him intentionally. _Why_ she was teasing him, he couldn't be sure. Maybe she was going to declare her relationship with Mr. Mister dead and snatch him away from Makoto, who wasn't exactly excited about being his date to a dance in a few of weeks. Maybe it was just his 'reward' for saving her life. All he knew was that he was locked in with the sob story and blocked from trying to snatch Minako Aino. Although Ami's actions spoke differently than her words, she was still off limits because of Mr. Mister, and unless she made the first move, it would stay that way.

After he had adequately settled down in the saddle, he stood up, not making eye contact. He looked at her when she started giggling. "Stop that."

"Sorry, but you're kinda cute when you're being pathetic."

"Bah." He rolled his eyes and followed her, noting that her walk was noticeably different than earlier in the day. _You tease... _"Uhh, do you mind if we don't talk about this to the kids at school? I'm not going to say anything to my parents if you would please let me use the phone."

"You mean the attack, or staying the night?"

"I was hoping to keep both under wraps. I just don't want that type of attention on me right now. Honestly, I don't want that kind of attention ever. I just wanna fade away as best as I can."

Ami arched an eyebrow. "Good luck with that."

"Don't worry, it'll pass. It always does. It takes a bit longer, but eventually, I'll just be that one guy."

"Alright. Your secret's safe with me and my mom."

"By the way." Tetsuya made eye contact, then intentionally glanced at Ami's chest for an instant before looking back at her face. "Are you sure your mom is okay with you being in my room like that?"

"Oh, she's on the night shift at the hospital and won't be back until after we're at school."

"That wasn't what I asked."

"It's okay, okay? And why would I be in your room? What have I told you about getting ideas?"

"You're supposed to teach me how to dance, remember?"

Ami gave Tetsuya a look of confusion. "What?"

"Did Makoto not communicate this to you?"

"You asked a girl to a dance without knowing how to dance?"

Tetsuya smiled at her. "I was trying to save my foot from being broken."

"You know what, my room's the only place in the house with enough floor space to really show you."

"And is Ryo okay with me being in your bedroom the way you're dressed?"

"It's okay, okay? _Sheesh!_" Ami's smile made Tetsuya despise her boyfriend.

"Yeah, I guess."

With that, Ami showed Tetsuya to the bathroom. He knew about the Japanese bath tradition, but the idea of immersing himself naked into a vat of steaming water just never made the word 'relaxation' come to mind. _Oh, well. I'm Japanese now_. Having showered off to clean his body, Tetsuya walked over to the tub. He looked unhappily at the water. It looked just like cool water, but he knew it was almost 140 Fahrenheit.

He grumbled to himself as he stuck his first foot in. Then, the next foot followed. Tetsuya was standing in hot water that rose to the upper part of his legs. _These next two decimeters are going to hurt_. He squeezed his eyes tight as he slowly lowered a rather sensitive area of himself into the water. He opened his eyes when his chest was submerged and he was sitting on an underwater ledge. He could feel his body absorbing the heat from the water. He then realized that the bath was large enough to hold four people, the average size of the Japanese family. Knowing Ami's family history, he understood that the bath he was in had not been used to its potential in years.

"Tetsuya," Ami's muffled voice resounded from outside of the bathroom, "is the water hot enough?"

_Not really. My nuts aren't fried yet_. "Yes, it feels wonderful. Thank you!"

"Okay. If it gets too cold, feel free to add some more hot water."

"Thank you very much." _You don't want me to have children, do you_? Tetsuya stopped to dwell on his last thought. Back on his home planet of Aschothiyl, he'd had a daughter when he was fifteen. He had no love for the mother as she had just been a convenience for him when he felt a strong sexual urge, and due to the person he had been, the mother justly felt no lasting love for him, either. In his year of exploration, he had slept with sixteen different partners.

When he found out that he had a daughter, he went to the mother's place to give her some ill-gotten money to support the child. However, when he saw his daughter, only two months old, he wanted to be there for her. So many happy memories flooded his mind of the three months he spent with his own child. That had happened nearly two years before. There was nothing that could be done to change the past, to undo the day they came...

"Tetsuya?" Hearing Ami's voice, Tetsuya snapped his eyes open and awoke from his reverie of the past.

"Yes?"

"You've been in there for almost a half hour. It's getting on the late side, and I thought you wanted me to give you a quick dancing lesson. Besides, you don't want to be too tired for the first day of school."

"I guess not. I'll be right out." _She wants me_. Tetsuya was half joking, half wishing. Anything to shift his mind away from the past. Aschothiyl and Klijarga no longer existed in his mind or heart. Pethospoe Jirghy was dead and Tetsuya Journey was alive.

*.*.*

Tetsuya sat on his futon mat, still looking at his borrowed pajamas. Ami looked at him, enjoying the looks on his face. "Is something wrong, Tetsuya?"

"Well, these clothes, they're, well..."

"Artistic?"

"Yeah. I guess these are the night clothes of an expressive individual."

"Yeah."

"They're also too big. He was tall, wasn't he?"

"He was a giant when I was a kid. I haven't actually seen him in nearly a year, but he's only a few centimeters shorter than Mamoru."

"Still tall for Japan." Tetsuya gave the hot pink shirt and stripped pants a few more seconds of his attention before looking at Ami. "Ami, how long has it been, living with just your mother?"

"Seven years. I was only ten at the time."

"It must have been hard."

"Yeah. I thought it was all my fault. I wanted to stay with my father, but he told me it would be best for me to stay with my mother. He writes to me all the time, telling how things are going, how his art is coming along. Stuff like that. You know, for awhile I only got a picture on my birthday. Then one day, I just left mom a note saying I caught a train up to Osaka and showed up on his doorstep. They were both absolutely furious about it. My dad eventually mellowed out and we had a good visit. We've been writing actual letters with the occasional phone call since."

"How'd your mother handle it?"

"Um, well, she...got over it. I guess. Tetsuya?"

"Yeah?"

"Where did you learn that thing you did?"

"What thing?"

"When you pulled me out of the way of the gunfire."

More 'true' lies came to his mind. "My father learned Ninjitsu in the U.S. He's a black belt and he taught some of the evasion techniques to me, mostly for physical fitness and coordination."

"How are you feeling about what happened earlier? You were shaking and babbling something that wasn't English or Japanese right before you passed out."

"I can't remember. I know there were two attackers and Sailor Mercury and that black suit dude was there. Bullets deflecting and a gun flying. That's about it. Everything else is blurred."

"Hmmm...that's really odd. I thought the news report said that there was only one dead terrorist with no second person."

"You saw the news?"

"While you were in the bath."

"Did the one bystander who got shot..."

"He's alive. He's still in serious condition, but has a good chance of making it."

Tetsuya gave a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear."

"Hey, weren't you scared? You showed no sign of panic."

"Well, I guess saving you was a pretty nice motivation. And seeing you in your pajamas is a fitting reward…"

"Normally people freeze in those situations, but you just acted. In most cases, something like that has to be learned and practiced."

_Very funny, Sailor Mercury._ Was she suspicious of him? "I guess there's just something magical about you, Ami-_chan_."

She giggled. "I'm now kinda sorry I have plans for the night of the dance."

Tetsuya shrugged. "Hey, you got Ryo."

*.*.*

"Yup! Sure do." Ami knew her statement didn't sound very convincing. "So, let's teach you how to dance." Ami stood up and intentionally walked right past Tetsuya's face. She knew that from his vantage point, he'd probably been able to catch a glimpse up her shorts. _What am I doing..._

She turned to Tetsuya, who was a slight shade of pink. "You have to stand for this. Dancing is not a sitting activity."

"Well, uh..."

_Yup, he saw._ Ami turned bright red as she started giggling. "Again? You _ecchi_..."

Tetsuya shrank down. "I didn't mean to peek. You should be more mindful of yourself."

"Easy, there. It'll be our little secret."

"I...like secrets."

After a moment, Ami helped him to his feet and winked at him. "Don't get any ideas."

*.*.*

After a quick lesson in basic dance, Tetsuya learned that most casual 'dancing' was simply moving to the beat without looking like an idiot, making him feel sorry for Usagi and Mamoru. However, the formal dance required contact and cooperation between the two partners, with the male usually leading. But a third, more romantic dance was also taught. Called clutch dancing, it simply had the woman's arms around the man's neck, and his arms around the woman's lower waist. The lesson was short and climaxed when Ami suddenly kissed Tetsuya on the lips, taking him completely by surprise.

"That's for saving my life today."

"Any time!" Tetsuya stammered without thinking.

Ami smiled at him. "Well, I'm sure you and Mako-_chan_ will have fun together. Goodnight, and remember that this is our little secret."

Tetsuya smiled as he left for the guest room. "Uh...night. Yeah..."

Tetsuya stared at the ceiling. One of his many skills taught by his former abductors was the ability to will himself to sleep, and even though it seemed like the smart thing to do, he kept replaying the events of the day in his mind instead. After being asleep for six weeks in stasis, his first day on Earth was coming to an end. No sooner than when he got out of the lake after his descent, he was chased by the girl who would be his date at the dance. After that, the five Sailor Senshi assaulted him and he somehow managed to escape with only a minor injury. While his injury mended, he acquired a basic wardrobe, got some cash and absorbed the local language. After that, he decided to flirt with chance.

He met a girl named Ami Mizuno. The two just clicked and Tetsuya was instantly adopted by her circle of friends, who just happened to include the Sailor Senshi. In addition, he now had a de facto girlfriend who would allegedly 'warm up' to him, or so he was told. After getting to know Makoto a bit, he decided to walk Ami home when Makoto cancelled her study session with Ami.

Then, out of the blue, there was an explosion. For an unknown reason, two Arab men had damaged the rail lines that led to Tetsuya's 'home.' One of them even fired at them but Tetsuya had pulled Ami out of the path of the hail of bullets, allowing her to escape with only a scrapped elbow and a few missing strands of hair. Next thing he knew, he was talking to Sailor Mercury again. The situation was quickly resolved and no innocents died.

He remembered how the sudden regression into open range combat against enemies with guns had caused a very strong reaction after the battle had ended. His last foray into battle had ended very poorly with him being a sole survivor in a very costly victory that silenced all doubt about him being Klijarga's messiah.

_No._

He pushed those thoughts away. Klijarga was just a silly name in a silly fantasy of boogey men from space. As far as Earth knew, they didn't exist, and they never would. While he remembered the events of the attack in crystal clear detail, he felt it best to claim to sudden memory loss from the post-attack shock. He didn't give any thought to the newscast saying there was only one terrorist. Just another boogey man, maybe. That was Senshi business, not his. Tetsuya repeated his wish to himself.

"I hope this is the last time I ever see you."

Due to the rail line being disabled and the fact that Tetsuya had saved Ami's life, he was invited to stay the night at Ami's by her mother. As it turned out, Saeko Mizuno had the night shift at the hospital that evening. The next thing he knew, he was being taught how to dance by a girl with short shorts, a white t-shirt and nothing else on. And just to make matters better and worse, she kissed him on the lips as a thank you for him saving her.

Indeed, it'd been one hell of a first day. He did like how most of it turned out, but he hoped that his next day on Earth would not be quite so eventful.

He turned his head over to the thin wall that separated him from the blue haired beauty who was sleeping in the next room. He could've sworn he just heard her laughing. _Girls… Go figure_. Tetsuya smiled. It was definitely time to dream!

*.*.*

Ami slept little that night. Feelings of excitement and guilt wrestled within her mind. Known as the shy and quiet member of the group, the thought of her taking a boy home she had just met that day and attempting to 'seduce' him would have brought disbelief and laughter from her friends. Good, obedient, study-hard, bookworm Ami. How she longed to shed those former pretenses, but was she doing it the right way?

During her second year of high school, she and Ryo had decided to go steady with each other. As their relationship progressed, Ami's own understanding of herself and her desires grew and she became the dominant one in their relationship. It was a role born out of necessity due to Ryo's inability to initiate…_anything!_ Ami had been the one to ask him to be her boyfriend. Ami had been the one to kiss him. In their relationship, Ami had done everything except bring up the idea of marriage.

On that dreadful day two months before when Ryo left for America, he had said nothing to her about it. Ami loved Ryo, but she didn't know if his feelings were like hers. In the time since he'd left, she only received one letter. _One!_ And nowhere in the letter did he say that he loved her, only that he missed being with her. Was it so wrong to maybe move on?

But it was not that easy. Before Ami's personal feelings had even put those thoughts in her head, her duty as a girlfriend towards Ryo had planted her in the hospital with her mom the evening of the dance for some shadowing. In addition, her duty as a friend to Makoto dictated that she hooked her up with Tetsuya. And the worst part was that Makoto didn't even want to do the dance and seemed to not really care, even after saying yes. It wasn't fair!

One room across was a decent looking young man, and a _gaijin!_ She'd always had a soft spot for foreigners. A lot of girls did! In one day, this guy had brought her out of her gloomy morning, saved her life and danced with her. If she could be seen at a dance with him as her date…but she knew that was not going to happen now. She would have to wait until after the dance, or at worst, just a little longer if Makoto and Tetsuya went out. After all, Ami thought with a smirk, Mako-_chan_ went through boyfriends like toilet paper! Or was it Minako? Ami started laughing at the mean spirited quip. The laughter died with a sigh. She had committed to it. If nothing happened between Tetsuya and Makoto, she would make her move. Either way, she had to let Ryo know.

_After the dance._

*.*.*

"Tetsuya," Ami's voice said, "wake up."

"Uhhh?" Tetsuya opened his eyes and saw the outline of Ami in the doorway. The light from the hallway hurt him and he rubbed the sleepiness away as his eyes started to adjust. "What is it?"

"Forget Ryo and Makoto."

"Wha?"

Ami walked up to Tetsuya' futon and laid down on top of him. "Take me to the dance, my love."

Tetsuya was speechless. Then again, what point would words be? Ami had spoken of loyalty to Ryo, but her actions had spoken a different story. Makoto had shown about as much interest in Tetsuya as a fed tiger shows in a brick of tofu. And surely someone as pretty and witty as Minako wouldn't have any issues with Mr. That One Guy or replacing him with an equally anonymous Mr. What's His Face. Regardless, like an idiot, or Usagi, Tetsuya spoke.

"Wait...what?"

Ami pressed her lips against his before he could say anymore stupid noises that were meant to be parts of a sentence loosely interpreted as words. He then felt her warm hand touch his face. He responded by putting his hand on Ami's head and ran his hand through her soft hair. She broke away from his grasp, smiled and started knocking on the floor.

"Tetsuya, time to get up!"

*.*.*

Tetsuya jumped out of the futon and stood looking around. The early morning lights were peeking into his room.

_No…it was just a dream_... "Good morning, Ami."

"Did you have any dreams last night?"

"Uhhh….n-not really! Although I could've sworn I heard you laughing."

"Oh! Well…uhhh…I just remembered something funny."

"What?"

"Well…errr…there's this game from Konami where you, well, dance. I mean, that sounds so stupid to me! Look, we'll talk about it on the way to the station."

Tetsuya wondered what the hell was a Konami and why it made him think of a guy sneaking around and knocking on walls. Such actions defeated the purpose of sneaking around, but not the biggest issue if you had thirty lives. _Thirty lives? What is my brain doing?_


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

_Don't Forget Your Lunchbox!_

_Right...phooey!_ But, Usagi had forgotten her lunch. And her breakfast. And unless the teacher was also late or she ran a track record, Usagi would be late for the first day of her last year at Juuban High with her hair down as she hadn't even had time to set her odangos._ And _she's_ gonna be there giggling at me..._

Omi Midori, a dorky third year who had skipped a year back in elementary and since gone from the advanced to just the regular class due to lack of effort on her part over the years, could almost have been considered Usagi's rival, even though the two didn't compete over anything. Add as much as Usagi _wanted_ to dislike her, she couldn't help but liken her to her future daughter, Chibi-Usa. Although the two looked and acted nothing alike, Omi usually wore her medium length pink hair in two pigtails on Mondays. While her hair was flat and flowed freely and Chibi-Usa's had a bit of curl to it, the distinction was there.

During her second year, Usagi hardly had any relationship at all with Minako and Makoto, and Rei had practically fallen off of the planet. Naru was often busy helping with her mother's struggling jewelry store that never quiet recovered from the outrageous sales when the store was taken over by a Youma. And while she and Ami had practically become sisters, Usagi missed the gang. Setsuna vanished without a trace, probably because she went back to the future with Chibi-Usa. Michiru and Haruka went back to their hands-off approach to the Inner Senshi and Hotaru only popped up on their radar once in a blue moon while she was trying to rebuild her life with her father, Souichi.

All of these departures left Usagi grasping at straws, and so on the first day of her second year at Juuban High, she over slept and one of the new students was _laughing_ at her! Usagi wanted to be furious with the little twit, but all she could see were those pink pig tails and think of her future daughter, who had been more like a kid sister during her visits to the past. During lunch, Omi had apologized and offered Usagi half of her lunch, which she greatly accepted as she had forgotten her breakfast and lunch that day, too. Usagi found Omi to be obnoxious, aloof, annoying and a pest, and for some reason, she lover her for it.

Monday, August 24th, 1998 was similar, but different. The previous year, Usagi had simply forgotten to turn her alarm clock on. This year, she barely slept at all and was woken up by her brother pouring water on her head as she was sleeping through the blaring sound of her alarm clock. Seeing the missing strands of hair on Ami's brow cut by a bullet barber had shocked Usagi terribly. Sleep did not come to her that night without a fight, and the few times she did nod off, comic images that horrified her came to her mind. Pixelated Ami in an Elevator Action game getting shot and falling over dead. Laura Croft style Ami missing a platform during a jump and breaking her neck. Ami in Sailor V running out of life and falling over. Turtle Ami getting stomped by an Italian Plumber. Images that would make a normal person laugh kept Usagi waking up in tears.

She shook those nasty thoughts away as she struggled to keep up the pace. _Let Omi laughing at me be the worst of my worries this day!_

*.*.*

"Journey, Tetsuya, exchange student from Narashino High School in Chiba," the office attendant looked at Tetsuya's file and handed him his school uniforms. "Your teacher is Mr. Kawazu."

Tetsuya smiled and bowed. "Ami, we're in the same class!"

"That's great! I'll show you the way after you change into your uniform, okay?"

"Sure."

It had been one of the few things they had said to each other the entire morning, neither one wanting to talk about what had happened the night before and what could happen in the following weeks, but that was no longer the issue as the two were officially in the same class. It was Ami's final year of high school and the first time in over eight years since Tetsuya had gone to an actual school himself...

*.*.*

Tetsuya looked at the clock. There were three minutes left until school finally began. He had been seated in the middle of the row on the right side of the room next to the windows, behind Ami and in front of a geeky boy named Kenji Yamato. He looked out and saw two figures running into the building. _Wait a minute, that's Minako and..._ Perhaps there were two Minakos, one without a bow. What a ludicrous thought...

"Journey."

Tetsuya snapped his attention to his teacher. "_Hai_!"

"Would you please come in front of the class and introduce yourself?"

"Yes, teacher." Tetsuya walked up in front of the class and bowed. "_Mina-san, ohaiyo gozaimasu_." The class responded with its good morning in unison. "My name is Tetsuya Journey. I was born and raised in Chiba, and my father received a job transfer that fell through, so although my family is still in Chiba, I am here with all of you. I am very glad to be here and I hope to make friends with all of you."

It took all of Tetsuya's willpower to contain his enthusiasm. He was finally a normal kid again, and a normal teenager for the first time in his life. Better late than never...

*.*.*

_What luck_._ My second year middle school teacher just conveniently shows up as my third year high school teacher, and this is the first impression I give her by showing up late...and it was only fifteen seconds...so close!_

Usagi was one of four girls standing in the hallway balancing a bucket of water on her head for being late that morning.

"Is she always this cheery," Minako asked. She and Usagi were in different classes their sophomore year and Usagi had to go it alone, meeting the cheery, outgoing and somewhat annoying Omi Midori.

"Yes," Usagi replied back.

"I feel silly, now," Omi said. Although she was standing in the hallway for being late while balancing a bucket of water on her head with Minako and Usagi, she was feeling silly for something else. She wore her pink shoulder length hair in obnoxious pigtails. It was her Monday get up, alright.

_Pink pigtails_...Usagi couldn't help but think of Chibi-Usa. "You mean you don't feel silly all the time?"

"You're such a kidder, Usagi-_sama_. I was late on purpose so you wouldn't have to stand out in the hallway all by yourself on the first day of school, but I guess you already had a friend who was late with you." She smiled a toothy grin, bearing her top and bottom brace work. Her once crooked teeth were starting to look like a perfect smile.

"That's very kind of you," Minako said. "I'm Minako Aino. You must be Omi Midori."

"The one and only."

"And thank God for that," Usagi sighed, smiling slightly. Usagi saw much of herself in Omi if she had never become a Senshi. Well, there was the fact that Omi had skipped a grade while Usagi had repeated Kindergarten and had almost repeated her first year of high school. But the innocence, the light heartedness and her being aloof and oblivious to insults made Usagi wonder how different her life would have been if she had not been a reincarnated Moon Princess expected to fight evil and save the entire Earth.

Ayako Midori, Omi's older sister and classmate, scowled. "Next time you have one of these ideas, remember that I get dinged every time you screw up because I'm held responsible for your actions as your older sister. Ugh...I missed the cut off by one question..." Her brown hair hung freely half way down her back.

"Awww, but then we wouldn't be in the same class," Omi pouted, giving a puppy dog look which was magnified by her glasses. It was as if she had the bottoms of two coke bottles for her lenses, which really put the focus on her ruby quartz pink eyes. It was almost a cute, chibi style cartoonish look.

"Even I need a break from you every once in awhile..."

"You can have a break from her after detention later today," their teacher said as she came out into the hallway. "Except for you," she pointed at Omi. "You would enjoy that too much, so you will serve detention by yourself tomorrow."

"With all due respect, _sensei_, this is unacceptable. My sister is a fully conscious and sane individual capable of making her own poor decisions. I should not be held accountable for her actions. Unless you wish to allow me to use physical force, I cannot control. She has free will."

"Fair enough. You can serve detention for talking in the hallway."

Ayako took a slow, steady breath before her second rebuttal. "I would not have talked in the hallway if I had not been wrongfully placed in the hallway for the actions of another in the first place."

Haruna Sakaruda pursed her lips in thought. "We're going to have a _long_ year. Very well. You're on probation. If you step out of line, it'll be double."

"_Hai_."

"No, no," Haruna said as the other two began to follow Ayako while Minako started heading to her classroom. "You three stay out here another ten minutes, and be _quiet!_" Although Haruna wasn't Minako's teacher, she didn't argue, and Usagi felt it was probably a good decision.

*.*.*

_I can almost taste freedom_. Rei had survived her first five years at the T.A. Academy for Girls. She doubted that one more year would kill her. Then again, it wasn't enrollment at her school that had gotten her killed twice, but at least she had a chance to fight back in those situations.

After roll call where she picked out her name in a sea of forgettable classmates, the teacher skimmed through the graded papers. "I'm pleasantly surprised," she said as she looked at Rei. "You actually completed your summer break assignment this time."

Rei and this particular instructor never got along, but she wasn't going to take the bait. "_Hai, sensei!_" And with that, the horrific droning called 'Modern Society' began.

_Someone shoot me..._

*.*.*

"Can I ask you a favor," Ami whispered to Tetsuya as they walked through the halls at the beginning of lunch break.

"Sure," he whispered back.  
"Last night really wasn't me. I was the damsel in distress and you were the hero. Can we just forget about it all together?"

_Post heat of the moment regrets_. "Forget about what?"

"Thanks. I..._gah!_" Ami was almost tackled from behind by Usagi.

"Wow..." she said gently tugging at the bang that had been shortened by a bullet. "And you..." Usagi grabbed Tetsuya in a bear hug.

"Me..." Tetsuya wheezed as the precious air in his lungs was forcibly pushed out.

"Thank you! I don't know what I'd do if I lost my best friend. How can I ever thank you enough?"

"...you..._barhghhk_..._diiee...iinngg_..." Usagi released her death grip and Tetsuya stumbled into the wall, gasping for breath. "Thank you for sparing my life, Tsukino-_san_."

"Honestly, Usagi-_chan_," Ami sighed with a smile.

"Sorry," she smiled while blushing slightly. She then scowled harmlessly at Tetsuya. "And what's with this Tsukino-_san_ stuff? We're all friends now, Tetsuya-_kun_."

"...Usagi..._chan_?," he said sheepishly and still slightly out of breath.

"Oh, we'll get you out of your shell eventually. Only took Ami-_chan_ three years. So, um, where are you two heading."

Ami shook her head, as if not surprised.

Tetsuya assumed that this was an undesired, but not unexpected action from Usagi. "Um, the same place you're headed," he said carefully. He didn't want to offend the girl who had almost crushed the life out of him.

Usagi frowned at the reminder. "Oh, right...lunch...silly me."

Tetsuya looked over at Ami. "Um, you told..."

"I give you my word," Ami said evenly. "It will not get out of our inner circle."

Usagi saluted Tetsuya with two fingers. "Scout's honor!"

_Scouts? So _this_ is Earth's greatest hero?_ "Um, yeah. So, uh... does Makoto usually join you for lunch?"

"Eh...um...well..."

"It's complicated, but it's probably simple, too," Ami said.

"More stuff for her to volunteer first," Tetsuya asked.

Before Ami could confirm, Usagi spoke up. "We kinda all got back together recently and it's the first day of school after our reunion and what not, so things are kinda up in the air. But Minako-_chan's_ gonna be there, so Mako-_chan_ should be there, too! It'd be really nice if just the four of us were...oh..." Usagi shrank down while Ami wore a neutral look of displeasure.

"If you need time to catch up and talk about private stuff and what not, I can go mull with the rest of the student body." Tetsuya knew they probably needed to talk about the new development with their newest boogeyman, apparently called 'The Journeyman' after being seen cooperating with Sailor Mercury during the attack when it was caught on video.

"That might be for the best," Ami said with a smile. "Usagi becomes a chatterbox when she's excited."

"You two can catch up with Minako-_chan_," Makoto said after sneaking up behind Tetsuya and putting her hand on his shoulder. "Is he still my partner for the dance?" She arched an eyebrow at Ami.

"I am still in a relationship with Ryo Uwara and I am still shadowing my mother at Juuban Second General Hospital the night of the dance."

Makoto shot Ami a lopsided grin. "Alrighty." She looked down at Tetsuya with the same smile. "Looks like we're a couple for now, _ne_?"

Although she lacked many feminine qualities generally desired in Japanese society, Tetsuya preferred to focus on the good and let it overshadow the lackluster, and thus smiled back at her. "I would like that very much."

Makoto cocked an eyebrow. "Easy there, honey badger."

"What's a honey badger?"

"Oh," Ami said with a snicker. "It's a small African mammal that has no natural predators due to its sheer aggressiveness. It can even survive snake bites."

"Small?"

"You got some guts," Makoto said. "I like that."

"Uhhh...well..."

Ami nudged Usagi and the pair began walking away. "Well," Usagi said with a grin, "you two have fun getting to know each other."

As the pair departed and Tetsuya and Makoto walked off towards another area of the school's courtyard, Tetsuya couldn't help but notice the odd stares from the other students. He was getting noticed already due to his 'race,' and being with a girl nearly a head taller than him probably didn't help keep a low profile. He had to wonder how long his fake identity would hold out when the questions started piling up. Maybe he would just come out to the Senshi as himself when the next boogeyman showed up...

"How do you like Juuban High," Makoto asked, breaking Tetsuya from his reverie.

"Oh, it's pretty much the same as Narashino, except this uniform is itchy."

"What's the Narashino school uniform like?"

"On girls, the skirts go all the way down to the ankle and the blouse isn't a sailor top. On the men we don't wear a jacket unless there's something official going on. All in all, Narashino is just a little less formal and doesn't have Tokyo Tower in the skyline."

"Ha! When it isn't half demolished! But, um, how do you like your teacher?"

"He lets the guys take off their jackets because it gets hot. He's pretty easy going, but he expects a lot of participation from the class as individuals instead of a whole class." Makoto started laughing. "What's so funny?"

She shrugged. "He's probably just trying to break the conformity mind set instilled in all of us, and he's probably gonna get fired at the end of the year for it."

Tetsuya frowned at the thought. "Well, I guess Japan _is_ a rather group-oriented society."

"Well, yeah. So, um, I'll just cut to the chase. Sorry I've been distant. I only agreed to go with you at first to appease Ami-_chan_."

"At first?"

"That was before you saved my friend's life. Usagi was a mess after hearing about it. That's probably why she was late."

Tetsuya remembered another girl running with Minako and thought how easily it would be to mistake the two of them if they didn't keep wearing their hair their own specific way every day. That and the ribbon helped, too. Tetsuya also thought that Usagi did look very sleep deprived when he saw her. "Ah."

"So, um, if you don't get snatched up by someone else, I would love to be your friend and partner at the dance. You should wear something with black and a bit of red to match my dress."

"You already got a dress?"

"I've had it for several years and I've just touched it up a bit as I grew, but it's my good luck dress."

"And what do you need luck for at the dance?"

She threw him into a headlock and rubbed his scalp with her knuckles. "Down, boy!"

He noticed what the side of his head was resting against more so than the knuckles trying to rub a bald spot onto his scalp. _Oh, those feel nice... _He then saw that Makoto was leading him right to the other Juuban members of the Sailor Senshi just as she released her pleasant headlock. "Um, I thought they needed..."

"They'll get the time they need later."

"Um...kay..."

"It's just odd that all of a sudden he can speak..." Minako stopped herself mid-sentence as Makoto and Tetsuya joined the trio. "Oh, hey! Um...wait..._waaaaiit_..." she put her hands over Tetsuya and Makoto's mouths. "Wait a sec...I got this...um...Tetsu Journ!"

"Cwosphumuff," Tetsuya replied with a shrug.

"Huh?"

"Pephuwha," Makoto said.

"Oh," Minako said as she withdrew her hands. "Tetsuya Journey."

"_Hai_," Tetsuya replied with a bright smile.

"Um, welcome back, uhh, to our inner circle..."

"Looks like you all need more time to..."

_GRAOUGLERUMBLUR!_

The girls all instinctively looked at Usagi who winced and bowed. "Sorry, that was me. I overslept and didn't eat breakfast."

"Well, I'll leave you all to your lunch so you can catch up and what not."

"You haven't eaten yet," Makoto asked. "We all ate already."

"Huh. Well, I just haven't had time yet." Tetsuya saw Usagi eyeballing him. "You forgot your lunch as well?"

She frowned as she nodded.

"Here," he said as he took out the leftover octopus stir fry Ami had packed for him. Usagi's eyes brightened like a child seeing a big present just for her under the Chirstmas tree, even though a lot of Japanese didn't fully celebrate that holiday. The comparison seemed to make sense to Tetsuya when he applied to Usagi, though. "My stomach's feeling a little off." He looked over at Ami. "I...think the _tako_ doesn't agree with me."

Ami smiled at him. "Don't worry, I know. I won't tell my mother."

"Thanks." Tetsuya faced Usagi again as he began to blush from embarrassment. Ami knew what he really meant and even called him out. His actions were a piss poor way to show gratitude for everything Saeko had done for him, but at least Ami was nice about it. Whining about 'sub-par' food as a luxury was one thing, but being an ass about someone taking him into her home and giving him food shhad personally prepared and a place to sleep was way out of bounds. "Here ya..." Usagi grabbed Tetsuya's lunch and gobbled it down audibly. "...go." _Earth's greatest hero_... Tetsuya couldn't help but smile slightly.

*.*.*

Rei ate in pleasant silence while avoiding eye contact with two seventh-graders who had inadvertently wandered to her table at the same time she had sat down. While her ears couldn't hear the whispers of the rest of the school, she felt the familiar sensations they gave off when they whispered things about her, usually less than nice things. Business as usual.

_Mmmm! Spicey Thai stir fry!_ In spite of all the mean things being said about her and probably her Yuuichirou as well, she silently enjoyed her lunch at a leisurely pace while the two trespassers gobbled down their meals and left Rei by herself.

_Perfect._

*.*.*

Tetsuya walked around the lunch area by himself, thinking about the dance that was in just under three weeks. He had learned how to dance, no sweat. He even got to dance with a scantily-clad Ami! _And what a frustratingly dead ended dead end it lead to..._

He also needed clothing for the dance. It was not a problem as he had the money. He needed to learn the schoolyard politics, sides, and treaties. That would take some exploring. Then again, what was the hurry? He'd spent the second half of his life outside of the school yard. Why bother? Just go with the tide as a member of the Inner Senshi's outer circle! Tetsuya smiled as he made his decision to blend into the crowd and let fate come to him. It often did..._Learn the schoolyard politics...what am I thinking? Like I'd even have a chance of becoming the Prom King._ Tetsuya had no idea what a Prom was and why it needed a king. Did Japan even have Proms, and if they did, did they have kings? _Nah..._

Senshi personas aside, Tetsuya drew Usagi as a klutzy, forgetful, oafish and lovable person who tried in her studies and all other aspects of life and was too far up in the clouds to let little failures trip her up. He had to concede a smile to her for that. Others saw her as an under-achiever despite her marks from her second year, but these others had stared at him and Makoto like lepers when they had walked together side by side. His thoughts shifted to the next magical girl.

Makoto seemed to do average and was still perceived as a bully despite her longstanding good behavior with no incidents on campus at Juuban High. The fact that he knew about Shinozaki's untimely death was common knowledge among the girls, but there was something else they were hiding from him in regards to Makoto. Unless she also had buried a child and been forced into conscription by a brutal militaristic society, her saddest or worst secret was but a few specs of dust under a collapsed bridge as far as he was concerned. Besides, he liked it when she put her arm around him. She really was pretty when she smiled, even her lopsided half smile. Tetsuya chuckled as he remembered there were three other Senshi to mentally analyze.

For reasons unknown, Minako was not the best scholar at Juuban High. The way she had half recited and half adlibbed her passage about Queen Mab the other day had him absolutely enthralled by her eloquent choice of words. No wonder she was so popular in spite of her poor marks and unpopular company. In addition to being a potential queen bee of the school who never sought out her crown, she was the captain of the girls' volleyball team. Tetsuya blushed slightly at the thought of wanting to see her in her uniform. _That would go over very poorly with Makoto..._

Rei was the great enigma of the group. She was isolated from the others while she attended the T.A. Academy. He knew she had nothing good to say about him and she probably was able to sense some of the magical residue he gave off. As Sailor Mars, she was his ally and he knew that he'd probably be dragged into battle against the next boogey man that refused to let the Senshi live their lives in piece, but nothing, _nothing_ good would ever come between him and Rei Hino. He had nothing but bad feelings about that girl.

Then there was the flirty temptress, Ami. She was seen as a bookworm, but her grades had slipped slightly, dropping her to second in her class behind Kenji. Oddly, she had only dropped to fifth in the entire country. Mr. Mister himself was in third with two twins from Hokkaido tied for first. They were probably cheating... All things aside, he knew that Ami was metaphorically a dancer and a composer screaming to shatter the old pretenses that had weighed her down over the years. As much as Tetsuya liked Makoto's change in attitude towards him, he still couldn't help but want to 'accidentally' push Ryo down a long flight of stairs...

_You're not a bad catch yourself, Mako-_chan. Tetsuya knew that Makoto was trying to hide a side of her she was ashamed of. She seemed to try and push off the housewife look, but he sensed the heart of a warrior in her. Then again, was it really so wrong for a woman to want to keep a home for a husband and children? It's not so wrong to want to be the lucky husband and father. His own mother had been a vicious lioness when it came to protecting him and fighting for what was best for him. Although a stay-at-home homemaker, she had been a true warrior.

_Mama_...

"Hey, Tetsuya," a girl's voice said, interrupting his thoughts, "wanna sit with us for lunch?"

Tetsuya stood still and whispered an emotion suppressing mantra. He didn't want to be seen tearing up. After a quick chant, he turned and looked at a group of two boys and one girl from his class and smiled. "Oh, sorry. I was off in my own little world. Um, I already ate, but would you mind if I just sat and talked?"

"Sure." As Tetsuya walked towards the trio, the girl spoke again. "What were you talking about to Kino?"

"Not much, just getting to know her."

"I'd be careful around her, she used to get into trouble for fighting. I hear she's a bully, but you probably figured that out after she put you in a headlock."

"Oh, no. That. She was just being friendly. That's just her way of showing it. She wasn't trying to steal my lunch money or anything like that." The trio stared at him, not comprehending what he had said. Then again, he didn't comprehend it, either. "Sorry, old American saying." _Do they have to pay for lunch? How awful!_ "No, she's really nice. I know how she used to get into fights back in the day, but that's ancient history. She's bloomed into a rose since then. _Other than the fact that she tried to bludgeon me yesterday, she's a real pearl..._ He meant every word and every thought.

"You think so?"

"Absolutely!"

"Well, I guess you would know better than we would. My name is Lila Abiko."

"I'm Motoharu Kurita," said one of the boys.

"I'm Motomi Kurita," said the other.

Tetsuya realized the two Kuritas were twins and he wasn't merely suffering from double vision. The four finished their introductions in the polite Japanese manner of _hajimemashites_ and _yoroshikus_. After talking about what he knew about Makoto, the trio seemed impressed and dismissed their earlier assumptions about Makoto Kino. After Tetsuya excused himself, he was stopped by Usagi and Minako.

"We heard what you said about Mako-_chan_," Minako said. "Thanks for standing up for her."

Tetsuya smiled. "Do you two always spy on people? You aren't very good at it, and I saw Ami was there, too."

The two girls blushed slightly and tried to laugh it off. "We, uh...I mean…I told Usagi spying was bad!"

"You dummy," Usagi said. "Ami-_chan_ said that, and you know it!"

Tetsuya chuckled. "I just told those three the truth. I have nothing to lie about for her." The smile died down a bit. "But in all honestly, I don't appreciate the spying. I did my best to give the four of you privacy and I would appreciate it if you returned the courtesy."

Usagi bowed to Tetsuya. "_Gomen._ You're a really nice guy, Tetsuya. But, what do you think about our Mako-_chan_?"

Tetsuya thought for a second. _I'd better not tell the_ whole _truth_. "She seems intent on projecting the image of a homemaker, but I feel there's something more to her, something deeper."

"Like what?"

_She's more of a lady knight in shining armor than a helpless princess, but she knows most men would prefer the hapless damsel. _"I'm not sure yet, but I think it's something potentially beautiful. I mean, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with wanting to be a bride and a homemaker if it's what makes you happy, but I'm sure she has a more personal dream. I just hope she has the resolve not to sell herself short to appease the shallow expectations of others."

"Wow, that was almost poetic."

Tetsuya forced a smile. _What was poetic about that? I don't see it._

"Woah," Minako added. "Cool. And we all thought you had the hots for..."

"No," Ami said evenly as she closed the gap, miserably failing to hide her smile.

Tetsuya chuckled. "As you wish."

*.*.*

"Hino-_san_," one of Rei's instructor's called as Rei rushed into a crowd heading for the train station after school had let out.

"Can't hear you," she mused under her breath. She knew it was pointless to hurry home as Minako and Usagi had expertly shown up late to school and would be staying late for detention, but she was _always_ in a hurry to get the hell away from her school. The funny thing was despite all of her oddities, she had been popular with the underclassmen until a year ago. Then again, it wasn't all that funny.

She sighed as she hopped onto the train. She'd get an ear full for it the next day, but didn't really care at the moment. She had other things to worry about, which would also get her an ear full. "Let's just move along..." she asked of the fates as the doors slid shut and the train lurched forward.

*.*.*

"Tetsuya," Ami asked as she walked with him towards the train station, "what did you think of school?"

"It's a lot like Narashino, but Mr. Kawazu is a pretty friendly guy, unlike my teacher last year."

"He was mean to his students?"

"Only the Caucasian ones." Tetsuya let a smile crack on his lips. "Juuban seems friendlier. You kids are too busy being suspicious of each other to be worried with the likes of me."

"I know what you mean, Tetsuya."

"Oh?"

"Me and the others seem to be apart from everyone else. It's like it's just us four, then everyone else. Our own little bubble. Even Usagi's other friends from Junior High moved elsewhere."

"Back at Narashino, I was my own bubble."

"Except for all those dates you had?"

"Wait until my hair grows back." Tetsuya winked at Ami. "Then you'll see."

"Wrong girl," she cautioned.

"Hai, hai. Anyways, back in Chiba, I had little meaningless dates but I never got far. I also didn't do so well making friends. For some reason, anyone I became friends with ended up leaving."

"You mean they moved?"

"...Yes."

"Well, we're not going anywhere for the rest of the school year. Can't make any guarantees after that."

"Guess not, so I might as well just take the plunge."

"Well, it looks like it's time for us to part. Are you free next Wednesday?"

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Well, Usagi and the others organized a group study at Rei's. Remember Rei?"

_She tried to devour my very soul! How could I forget something like that?_ "Hino-_San_ from the shrine? She had the nice red outfit."

"That's her."

"Did she lose the rest of it or forget to put it on?"

"Uh...she's always been...confident."

"You ever dress confident?"

"Only after someone saves me from getting shot in the head. And that's your last free pass, mister." She looked away, but not in time to hide her smirk.

Tetsuya smiled. "How about Makoto..._chan_. Mako-_chan_?"

"Wait until you see her in her dress at the dance," she replied with a hinting tone.

"Oh, but it seems so far away..."

"Right. So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure."

*.*.*

"You're crazy," Minako said, not even hiding her surprise.

"Okay," Rei said, taking in the unconvinced looks from the others. "That's probably a longshot."

"You can't fake bloodpressue and heartrate," Ami said. "I highly doubt a resourceful warrior who fell from the sky would just suddenly faint after a battle he had very easily won."

"But there's something not right about him."

"The Journeyan, or Tetsuya," Usagi asked. "You gotta be specific as they are _not_ the same person!"

"Both! Look, I'm grateful for the sky dude saving Shingo's girlfriend..."

"I don't think she's really..."

"...and words cannot express how happy I am that you're still with us, Ami-_chan_. But Tetsuya just ferls, well, odd. Like...another Senshi. He has quiet an aura."

"You're right," Makoto said. "He's really a woman and she's going to be Sailor Virgo. Eleven more will follow, twelve if Gemini is twins."

Rei hunched over in defeat. "He's probably just one of the survivors of Silver Millennium who was sent into the future with us. I mean, all of the Senshi just conveniently happened to be in or around Juuban. It's not all that far fetched. He might not have even woken up, yet."

"Or maybe he's really Jadeite in disguise," Ami mused. "I mean, we never found out what happened to him."

"Doubtful..."

"No, no, he's the fifth member of the Amazon quartet and is just pretending to be a boy," Minako said.

"Stop it."

"Maybe he's the first Black Power Ranger," Makoto added. "He just simply was replaced after callbacks and his grudge had created an overpowering aura setting off Rei's vibes."

"Quit it..."

"He could be an emissary from the world of candy," Usagi said thoughtfully. "I like that idea best." Usagi saw the other four staring at her. "What?"

"Ugh...well, all I gotta say is I he seems odd to me."

"Maybe you seem odd to him. I mean, what were you trying to do yesterday, suck his soul out through his eyes?"

"I was trying to figure out the vibes I got off of him! Here." Rei tossed Usagi a Milky Way.

"_Domo!_" Much to Rei's chagrin, Usagi put the candy bar in her backpack and continued talking.

*.*.*

"_Tadaima_," Tetsuya said to the empty hotel room. He had checked in the morning before and paid an extra half day's lodging up front for the early check-in. His changes of clothing and other supplies were all there, including an alarm clock he had never had the opportunity to set. While he hadn't stayed there yet, he had already paid a day and a half's lodging already.

It didn't matter. No one answered with the phrase _'okaerinasai'_ because no one was there. He was all alone with no one to barge in on him or tell him he had to train or learn more Klijargan theological crap. "I did it," he whispered softly. "I'm free, mama."

It all came pouring out of him as he fell onto the bed and covered his head with one of the pillows. He was finally free at last and he finally had time to absorb the sensation for himself. He didn't even try to suppress the sobs as years of fear, hatred and frustration flowed out of him. He was truly free! _Thank you for everything, mama. I'll never forget you. Goodbye._


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six  
**_Boogeymen_

Tetsuya got his wish one day late with a very boring and uneventful Tuesday. The next eight days and seven evenings pleasantly followed suit. Tetsuya still had three things weighing on the back of his mind, though. First, he couldn't help but feel that Makoto was starting to distance herself again as the day of the dance neared. Second, he was running out of money and his new identity came with it's own quirks, such as scruples. They made the thought of stealing that much more despicable and Tetsuya had already given up on figuring out how to keep track of and payback the businesses he had taken from so easily. When you could put on a ski mask, hosiery over your face and absorb one get up into your skin and pop out another, it made sneaking into a place of business and grabbing cash easy, but a nagging voice in the back of his head also made it that much harder.

Third, exactly what in blazes was Tetsuya supposed to get Ami for her birthday? Economics aside, he had no idea what to get for a girl he wanted to kiss. Makoto's distancing herself from him yet again didn't make him want to steal Ami from Ryo any less. That damned moral compass of his was also ineffective in swaying him. But his semi-secret desires aside, what was he supposed to get for the girl who adopted him into her circle of friends hours after he fell from space?

Ami did not get her wish as of the study date at the Shrine. She still had no phone calls or letters or anything from her beloved Ryo. She actually found herself missing Tetsuya's cute remarks and passes he made at her as he had started behaving himself. The two of them still talked during breaks and were forming a little trio with Kenji Yamato, who had oddly one day started talking to his classmates out of the blue and smiling on a regular basis. She assumed that he had gotten himself a girlfriend, the lucky bastard!

Usagi was starting to psych herself out on tests after initially scoring a 99 with only one point off for not putting her name on the paper, which automatically dropped her to a zero. Due to the extenuating circumstances, she was not temporarily kicked out of the house by her mother, but her marks were starting to suffer from a slow start. She seemed almost oblivious to Ami's efforts to help and was starting to give up. Maybe she just needed a different angle to see things from. Maybe Tetsuya could help her!

Tetsuya had been plaguing Makoto's mind recently. She was absolutely flattered when she heard about what he had said about her, but the old fears and doubts quickly set in. What if he was just using her, or using the entire group? What if he just wanted to take his chances with getting lucky after the dance? What if she started to like him and something terrible happened to him as well? The dance was a week and a half away, and she hadn't even looked at her lucky dress yet.

Rei couldn't help but keep thinking about what an opportunity it would be to personally thank Tetsuya for saving Ami's life, but also to get close enough to him again and see if she could make anything of his aura. It was noticeable, but not overpowering. It was present, yet felt as if it were asleep. And the most aggravating part was that she couldn't tell if the aura was benevolent or foul. Then again, she was positive that Usagi was a demon when she first met her. She still smiled about that day for many, many reasons. Perhaps she would lay off on her investigation for now...

Minako was getting a bit aggravated with Ami or Makoto bringing Slouch around all the time during lunch. Not only did he slouch, but his interfering presence made discussing the disappearing terrorist impossible until they met up at Rei's. So not only did she have to wait until then to bring up any new thoughts, but she had to remember everything from the previous meeting to provide continuity as Ami seemed to prefer not to care at times. While Minako understood how Ami felt, she also felt that she was slaking in her duties as a Senshi. But time flowed like a river, and Slouch would be arriving soon. Better fire up the discussions right away!

*.*.*

"He's not Journeyman," Minako started suddenly as she slid the door to the study room shut.

"We know," Usagi replied.

"Or the emissary from the world of candy!"

"You can't prove that..."

"He's something," Rei said evenly. "But..." _I might as well concede._ "...as much as it irks me to say this, it doesn't matter what he is right now. He saved Ami-_chan_, so he's good. An evil entity wouldn't do something like that. I promise to lay off for the time being."

"Yay, disappearing terrorist, go!" Minako quickly interjected. No one answered. "What about the cats? Luna?"

"Yeah," Usagi pondered after a moment of silence when the black cat didn't reply. "I haven't seen Luna in awhile."

"Artemis!"

No answer.

"Bah."

"Humbug," Makoto threw in.

"Aaaand the meeting's over," Ami sighed. "Tetsuya's on his way in."

"How can you tell?"

"The window."

Minako looked oddly at the window that had been there for years. "Oh, yeah. You can see right through it to the outside. I guess that makes it a window. Hey, Slouch..." She waved at him, her bright smile hiding her disappointment. "He sure is punctual.."

*.*.*

Tetsuya smiled and waved back at her before returning his attention to a black cat. _Where have I seen that cat before?_ No memories popped up and he continued towards the door where it was flung open by a smiling Rei Hino. _Goodbye, my soul..._

"Good afternoon," she cheerily sang. "Welcome to my home." She bowed and he returned the gesture as he walked in. He'd barely taken his shoes off before she shut the door and hugged him. "Thank you for saving my friend!"

"Oh, no _proaahhhggkk!_" Tetsuya was ambushed from behind by Usagi.

"Seconded," she cried.

"_Hhhuuurrrr..._"

"Don't kill him," Makoto chided. "Hey, buddy."

"Hey," he wheezed after breathing in again. _Where does she get all that strength from?!_

"Hey, _Slooo...uuuugger_. Slugger!" Minako playfully punched him lightly on the arm.

Tetsuya tiled his head as he looked up at her. "Did you forget my name again?"

She bowed in apology. "Gomenasai, Tetsuya Journey. I can't remember for the life of me. It isn't Steve Perry, is it?"

_Very funny, but I don't get it._ "Who's Steve Perry?"

"C'mon. You know, the lead singer to Journey?"

"Uhh..."

"_Laa-de-da-daah-de-da-daah-daah_..."

Tetsuya was not familiar with The Wheel In the Sky.

Rei pursed her lips in thought. "How about..._ladadadah-dadahda-aahh_..."

Nor was he familiar with Dust In the Wind.

"That's by Kansas," Minako corrected.

Makoto smiled. "Thank you, very much, Sir Robot..."

No one was familiar with what Makoto was trying to do.

"You're thinking of Styx," Minako said politely.

"I know," Usagi started.

_Oh, no..._

"_Up, on de hausu toppu, ding ding ding_..."

"That's a Christmas song," Ami exclaimed with her hand over her face.

"And it wasn't by Steven Journey?"

"Just, stop."

*.*.*

The study session was more of an academic intervention for Usagi that took a couple of hours. While most of her issues were quickly tackled, Miss Sakurada's cruel addition of physics to math had the entire class squirming. Rei had given up and was watching a small, old TV in the next room, a habit she had picked up during her time away from the group.

"Rei," Usagi said, "turn it down. I'm trying to get help with these new vectors thingies."

"Hush! I haven't seen this one."

"Gokou, Gohan and Trunks use a triple Kamehameha to kill Broly."

Rei had a disgruntled look of despair across her face. "You blew the ending!"

"I'm not sure that it ends exactly like that," Minako added. "I'm not even sure you're thinking of the right movie."

"Well, either way, it's close enough! They grunt and they huff and they puff and they blast the bad guy all the way to market!" Usagi looked back to Tetsuya and smiled sweetly. "Okay, Tetsuya, so how do these things go again?"

"Let's take a different approach," he said calmly. "Mako-_chan_, if you would please start walking to the other side of the room. Just ignore me and what I do and keep walking."

"Um, sure," she said as she complied with his request. Tetsuya stood up and walked into her path, causing Makoto to bump into him and the both changed their course slightly. "Um..."

"You see that, Usagi? Now, your turn. If you could do the same thing she did, but jog from the hallway."

Usagi smiled evilly. "I think I see where this is going." She scampered to the hallway and jogged into the room with Tetsuya walking into her path. He was instead of just having his direction changed, he was knocked to the ground. "Fifth down, you must punt!"

"Red card," Makoto chuckled, confusing the sports almost as badly as Usagi had. Ami didn't bother correcting them, but laughed as Tetsuya slowly got to his feet.

"Ouch," he murmured. "Remind me never to get on your bad side. Did you see what happened each time?"

"You changed direction."

"Right. Vectors have three aspects to them. Direction, speed and mass. The last two are combined into a quality called momentum. So how much momentum do the two objects have, and what angle are they at in relation to each other? Mako-chan...hmmm..." Tetsuya looked at all four of the girls in the room. "Actually, all of you are very lovely young ladies with gorgeous figures."

"Oh, you..." Minako over exaggerated being flattered.

He looked back at Usagi and continued his lesson. "But, Mako-chan has more bone structure and muscle, thus, she has more mass than you do. But she had less of an effect on my course when she hit me than you did because you had more speed. Your velocity gave you more momentum, and so you had a bigger effect on me."

"So, I should just think of myself as one of these arrows," she asked.

"Absolutely."

"And you're the other one?"

"If you prefer."

"So, sometimes I do the knocking and sometimes I get knocked."

"And sometimes it's about even. Try this one again."

Usagi's progresses was occasionally interrupted with her sound effects as she finished the problem. "Wow. I should've been the other arrow."

Tetsuya looked at her answer and smiled. "Good job, Usagi-chan! That's the right answer! You got this!"

"Yeah, but look at the end result. You knocked me up!"

Ami, Makoto and Minako burst out in laughter as Tetsuya started to turn red.

Usagi turned on her friends when she finally realized what she had just said. "_Baka baka baka!_"

"Rei-chan," Makoto hollered to the other room.

"Yeah, I heard," her voice replied. "Congratulations! You trying for a boy or a girl?"

"Not a word to Mamoru," Tetsuya huffed.

Usagi opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by Rei's sudden wail. "A special report! This is so not fair! It was almost at the end!"

"Hush," Minako said as she walked towards the TV, "This might be something important." The other three followed suit. Tetsuya followed them after a moment's hesitation and all six of them were huddled around the small TV.

"Live from the Crown Plaza in downtown Juuban via Sky One," the news anchor started with a chorus reply of 'that's here' from the girls, "a masked person bearing a sword and a shield has...wait...there he is...get out of the way!"

On the small screen, a young woman with red hair stepped out of the arcade. The figure leapt towards her with impossible speed and ran her through. It darted off of the camera before her body fell to the ground. The picture cut out with a 'technical difficulties' message.

"That..." Rei whimpered. "You don't think that was...Futuhara..."

"No," Tetsuya murmured. "No, just...the trick of the light. You see, these...these news...people..." Tetsuya stumbled and lost his footing, hitting his head against the counter. He swayed and fell to the floor motionless with his eyes shut.

"That was oddly convenient," Minako said, still taking in everything that was going on.

"C'mon," Usagi barked as she took her transformation brooch out of her purse. Although it was once capable of hepling her attain the form of Eternal Sailor Moon, it was only strong enough to help her attain her original form of Sailor Moon. And without help from Helios, the other Senshi oddly seemed to be trapped in their original forms as well, despite having the latest and greatest transformation pens.

"Moon Prism Power, Make-Up!"

"Mercury Power, Make-Up!"

"Mars Power, Make-Up!"

"Jupiter Power, Make-Up!"

"Venus Power, Make-Up!"

The five warriors joined hands. "Sailor Teleport!"

*.*.*

_Oh, gods..._Tetsuya's eyes flickered open and he began quickly chanting the battle mantras. He hoped and prayed to deities he didn't really believe in that he hadn't seen what he thought he saw. _Please..._

He leapt to his feet and ran out of the shrine. He knew he had only been out for a minute, but it had been such a shock to him! _That couldn't have been a Scout_. But the style of uniform, weapons and combat style as well as the eagerness to kill an unarmed civilian all matched. _No...why..._

He stopped for a moment and thought. If the Kiljargans were invading Earth, there would have been orbital bombardments of the major population centers and military installations. Tokyo would probably have been molten slag and he would be dead. The suburban areas would be randomly selected for fighter and bomber attacks just for fun. That had been how he had lost his second family when they invaded. It was something else.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry as his Scout suit seeped out of his skin and onto his body. As he sprinted towards battle, crying began to win. _It wasn't supposed to be like this_. As The Journeyman, Tetsuya ran and hopped across rooftops at top speed and cut through ally ways, knocking frightened and surprised bystanders to the ground who didn't get out of his way fast enough.

He knew what was going to happen. He knew what was coming. He knew there was nothing that could be done to avert the tide. Tetsuya's helmet hid the tears of anger and despair that were running down his face. _It's not fair. It's not fair! Everything I do, everywhere I go, they're always following me. Always looking at me through a microscope. I hate them. I hate their empire. I hate their religion. I hate them all. I hate Klijarga!_

Tetsuya focused his thoughts and let the cold, emotionless battle lust take over. He surrendered to the lust for blood, the thrill of the kill. He knew it was horribly evil, but it was one of the only ways he knew of overcoming his instinctive cowardice. He thought of the innocents that had been slain for no reason, their faces frozen in terror as families lied motionless in heaps. It did nothing for him.

He then thought of looking through the eyes of his squad commander as he lay dying, ran through from behind without warning. Images of the people he had killed in battle or out of anger flowed into his mind. He stopped crying and smiled at the violent memories. The change allowed him to better regulate his breathing and run even faster. Flashes of light let him know that the fight had begun. The Scout had seen the Senshi, and they would be likened to the legendary _Val'Kureis_ of propechy.

_So, this is how I will die, in battle with those damned Klijargans_. The fight was probably being relayed to a Scout vessel already. Either the Senshi would have been seen fighting the Scout, or the traitor would have shown up. There would have been no feasible scenario to warn the Senshi to stay hidden, no way to fool the Klijargans from discovering that their dead messiah was alive and a traitor. Everything had already turned to crap the moment Klijarga decided that Earth might be its holy land.

_So, this is how I die..._

*.*.*

"_Stop!_" Usagi screamed at the masked figure. "You're massacring my people. This is unforgivable! In the name of the moon, I will punish you! Senshi, _attack!_"

"Shabbon Freezing Spray!"

"Fire Soul Bird!"

"Supreme Thunder Dragon."

"Love Me Chain!"

"Moon Tiara Action!"

The figure who looked just like The Journeyman dodged out of the range of the freezing attack and ducked under the lightning dragon that snapped the air harmlessly. The chain attack wrapped around his shield, pulling aside, but he hit away Sailor Moon's tiara attack with his sword. With a good yank, Minako pulled the shield away, but with a helping toss from him, the shield slammed into her face, knocking her out of the battle.

"No you don't," Rei snarled. "Fire Soul!"

The figure leapt in a spiraling spin through the attack, towards Rei with his sword stretched out. Rei only had time to realize she hadn't told Yuuichirou that she loved him that day as the blade closed the distance.

The other Senshi could only stare in terror as Rei tried to dodge out of the way, but heard a metallic cry of pain as a second black figure tackled her to the ground away from the blade. The figure kept running and oriented himself for another attack.

"Journeyman," Rei groaned as she was yanked to her feet.

"Sailor Mars, we need to stop meeting like this," he replied through the voice filter on his mask.

"With you tackling me?"

"_Kyaaa!_" Ami, armed with Minako's whip, wrapped the whip around the figure as he made another run at Usagi.

"I got this," Makoto said with a smile. "Supreme..."

"No..." Ami tried hollering.

"...Thunder!"

"You stupid fu..._aaaaauuuuuggghhhhh!_" Both Ami and the figure were engulfed by the burst of electricity. Ami fell to her knees and lost her grip on the whip. The figure kept his feet, unwrapped the whip and flicked it at Makoto, wrapping her neck with it. He sprinted off, causing Makoto to be dragged behind him, trying to unwrap the strangling whip.

"Sailor Jupier!" Usagi cried. "Moon Princess Halation!" The attack knocked the figure off of his feet, but he kept his grip and leapt over a lamp post, pulling Makoto into the air. He quickly tied it off and faced the new attacker and merely stood, as if shocked.

"_Dosh hiur_," the enemy yelled in the Klijargan tongue in a natural, masculine voice. "_Jirghy jrah Teliktas gryumaphyut jhajha tess_." He then bowed.

"No..." Journeyman growled. "No. No! _Nooooooo!_" He charged towards the other figure and materialized his red blade in his left hand and slashed down. The attack was blocked and the began yelling, as if pleading, but Journeyman would have nothing to do with it. "Shut up! Shut up and die! Just shut up and die!"

While the two were fighting, Usagi sprinted to Makoto and untied the whip. She dropped to the ground coughing. "Are you alright?"

She nodded as she uncoiled the whip from her neck. "Never better," she rasped. "How's Sailor Mercury and Venus?"

"Venus is still down."

"And Sailor Mercury?"

"I'm fine," she hollered while standing over Minako, "no thanks to you, though!"

"Why are you all standing," Journeyman yelled at the Senshi while continuing his duel.

"You're all moving too fast," Rei said. "What if we hit you on accident?"

"Hit us both! Sailor Mercury! Now!"

"Double Sabbon Freezing Spray!"

Journeyman locked his sword against the figure's and grabbed his arm with his free hand. He once again felt the paralyzing cold of the freezing attack. The figure began struggling and almost instantly started to break free.

"Hit him now!"

"Usa..." Mercury started, but caught herself before speak her name, "Sailor Moon and Mars, use your combined Fire Tiara Action attack!"

Sailor Moon and Mars made eye contact, and nodded.

"Fire Soul!"

"Moon Tiara Action!"

Sailor Moon threw her Tiara and Sailor Mars's Fire Soul attack touched it, turning it into a burning red disc heading right for the figure. The shockwave created from the impact threw Journeyman out of the area of Sailor Mercury's spell, and as he flew, he heard the scream of Vendeusi. As he shook away the daze from the blast's concussion, he stood and walked back towards the figure. He took his mask off and smiled at Journeyman. He spoke several gurgled words, blood coursing down his mouth from his ruptured lungs. He then laughed weakly and lowered his head, staring at the sky with half-closed unseeing eyes.

"What did he say," Makoto asked as she carried a semi-conscious Sailor Venus towards the group.

"His name was Igrosh Vendeusi. He and I were Scouts in the Klijargan military's Holy Guard."

"What is he doing here," Sailor Mars asked. "What are _you_ doing here on Earth? Why did you come here? Why did he follow you? What the hell is a Klijargan, and lastly, thanks for saving my life."

Journeyman stood silently for a moment before speaking. "I came here seeking freedom and a new life. I am not Klijargan like him. I come from a world called Aschothiyl. It was invaded and I was forced into service. As for him..." Journeyman looked towards the flashing lights of EMS vehicles that were rapidly approaching. "You can teleport, correct?"

"Ugh," Minako mumbled. "Yeah."

"How about one of the roof tops?"

The five Senshi joined hands with him in the center. "What about him," Usagi asked softly, looking at Vendeusi's body. "We can't just leave him here."

"You saw what he did to those people, and you still grieve over his death."

"I killed him."

"What's wrong? It's different when you kill a person rather than some evil demon, isn't it?" Journeyman meet Sailor Moon's shocked gaze through his unfeeling helmet. "You've never actually killed a person, have you? I'm sorry, but you mush get used to it. I'll explain more in a moment."

"Sailor Teleport!"

*.*.*

Tetsuya took another moment to finish whispering his post battle mantras. He didn't need to pass out again or start laughing at Usagi's expression when the tears began falling. After the last mantra was uttered, he felt relatively, for lack of a better word, human again.

"Sorry about the delay," he said. "I had to alter my mindset. When I go into battle, I have to become someone else."

"What do you mean," Minako asked.

"It doesn't matter. I'll explain it another time."

"You're bleeding," Rei said. "When you pushed me out of the way, he nicked out."

"I'll be alright. My power is to copy or emulate the abilities of those around me after awhile. The powers weaken and disappear if I am away from someone for awhile. However, if I kill someone or am right by them as they die, I absorb their powers and abilities forever. The first ability I ever took in that manner was my rapid healing ability. I won't even have a scar by the morning.

"Now, as for the manner at hand..."

Usagi started to sob. "I'm sorry...keep going..."

Rei put her hand on Usagi's shoulder. "It's okay. I got you."

"I truly am sorry," Tetsuya continued, "but you must all hear this and hear it now. For reasons I cannot understand, the Klijargan Empire now thinks that Earth is it's promised land, and they will begin a holy trial to claim it as their own."

"What kind of a trial? What does this have to do with us?"

"You are like the Val'Kureis described in their holy books, seven planets and a moon guardian. I can't even begin to wonder why they are ignoring Pluto or any of the other outer bodies in this solar system."

"They're coming for us." Rei swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "They're coming to kill us and take over Earth. How do we stop an entire army?"

"Only their elite will engage you in combat. They will send in the lowest ranks first. How many and when and what specific rules of engagement will be determined by them."

"So as long as one of us is still standing," Minako said, "Earth will be safe?"

Tetsuya pointed at Usagi. "She has to survive this. To consecrate this world, they must sprinkle her blood into an urn with the ashes of the prophetess Lady Klijarga. The ashes would then be spread throughout the atmosphere and disperse over Earth. As long as she lives and doesn't flee from battle, the Earth will be safe."

"So..." Usagi had managed to get her sobbing under control. "I...need to fight and kill."

Tetsuya nodded. "There will be thirty to fifty combatants."

"How powerful are they?"

"Very, but from what I've read up on you, you were quiet strong yourself at one time. Is there a reason you're all weak now?"

"That's confidential," Rei said, cutting off Usagi's reply. "But don't worry, we're quickly getting back to our old selves. When's the next part of this trial?"

"Don't worry, they'll find you."

"The way they found us," Usagi demanded. "By killing innocent people? I saw a girl my age lying next to a boy who was probably barely a teenager. The pools of blood were still spreading from their bodies when I came across them. Their faces...I knew right away they were brother and sister. I also have a younger brother. Had fate been different, it could have been the two of use dead on the sidewalk in their place."

"I cannot say for sure what will happen next. Not all of the Klijargans are active butcherers. Some of them refrain from partaking in the slaughter of the innocent, but they do _nothing_ to stop it. That's why I had to get away, and that's why I'm willing to die fighting against them to protect Earth. For the most part, I'm just as much in the dark as you all are."

"What can I do to protect my people? This slaughter is unacceptable!"

"I...I don't know. It depends on who is in the trial. I'll tell you everything I can as soon as I know."

"How will you find us," Ami asked.

"Don't worry about it." Tetsuya bowed to the Senshi and sprinted off into the night.

*.*.*

The Senshi stared at the Journeyman as he ran off. "Well," Makto said softly with a grainy voice, "that's a lot to swallow."

"I once said that I didn't believe you could gain anything from fighting," Usagi said softly. "I still believe that. What can we gain from fighting? It won't bring back the dead, only more to join them."

"You're too sweet..." Rei started.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Usagi whispered. "Don't you dare."

"We have to fight," Ami said.

"I know. We stand to lose everything if we don't fight back. I won't simply lay down my life for these monsters. I can only imagine what fate would befall the people of Earth if they took over. In the name of the moon and the people who lost their lives for no reason this night, I will prevail."

The other four nodded their approval and gave a look of defiant confidence to show their support. "Let's get out of here," Minako said.

"Sailor Teleport!"

*.*.*

Tetsuya had barely gotten back to the shrine when the Senshi all teleported back into the same room. They didn't notice him until they had all powered down to their alter egos. _Well, I guess now's as good of a time as ever._

"T-Tetsuya..." Ami stammered.

"No," he replied, "it's okay. I've been..."

"Tetsuya Journey," an unfamiliar voice cried from behind.

Tetsuya turned to the sound and saw the black cat.

*.*.*

"He's coming too," a familiar voice said.

_Ami_...Tetsuya opened his eyes. "I fainted again..."

"Close. You fell and hit your head. So you were knocked out, I guess."

"I'm worse than Nancy Drew."

"I'm not familiar with her."

"Never mind..."

Something wasn't right, but Tetsuya couldn't figure it out. After passing Ami's quick medical exam, he was cleared to head home, allowing the girls to not discuss what was going on. They'd had enough for one evening.

*.*.*

Tetsuya awoke in a small hotel in Juuban, his head swimming like a bad hangover. He felt the worst he had felt in over a year, as if the chemicals in his brain were completely imbalanced. It was most likely from some terrible dream he didn't remember as he was nearly two years sober. For a moment, he realized his memory had been tampered with, probably through some magic spell of the Sailor Senshi. As he retraced his thoughts, his depression got more severe as he remembered that the Klijargan Empire's elite soldiers were inbound to Earth. _That's no dream. It's a nightmare_.

He then thought of the Sailor Senshi, and all the depression, all of the doubts and the gloom were eased and replaced by a sliver of hope. He had a strong belief that someway, somehow, he and the Senshi would weather the oncoming storm. _The Senshi...who are they?_ His memory of the identities of the Senshi had been utterly erased, but it didn't matter. Tetsuya would overcome the spell soon enough.

He looked at the clock in his room. It was about time to get up and go to school. He smiled to himself. He was going to see Ami and Makoto. Again, the gloom lessened from a banshee wail to a minor sigh. Tetsuya rose up from his bed and started the day's routine. Maybe he _wasn't_ going to die soon…

*.*.*

Luna smiled at Artemis. "It was a good idea to hang around at the Shrine. It would have been rather awkward if Tetsuya had discovered all of the girls' identities."

Artemis flicked his tail and grinned in reply. "I'm glad you approve."

Minako walked into her small bedroom room where the two cats had been lounging. For four years, it had been her living space ever since returning from England. She had picked a smaller 'guest' room as hers because she liked the coziness. Besides, her house had a full sized study room for all of her stuff. "Oh, _sumimasen_ Artemis," Minako said when she saw the two cats, "I didn't know you had company."

"It's alright," Luna said, "we were merely discussing the memory block spell I used on Tetsuya. I really had trouble perfecting it, but I'm confident it'll hold out. I mean, the only way for the spell to break is for him to rediscover your identities. Oh, I just wish I'd had it a couple years back when Jadite learned the others' identities, but it all worked out in the end."

"Hey," Minako asked, "Ami-_chan_ says that there are no records of the Klijargans on the computer."

"They must be from the Shadow Zone, an area of the galaxy not charted by Crystal Tokyo."

"Even so, wouldn't they still be rebuilding? I mean, Galaxia messed up a large portion of the galaxy during her rampage."

"They might still be recovering. If they're only sending a small elite task force, then it wouldn't really hurt them."

"So we don't know when they're coming, we don't know how many, but from what we've seen, one of them isn't a problem, but a whole group of them would be overwhelming. And the fact that our powers are weakened doesn't make matters any better."

Luna sighed. "Artemis and I think that it's just the fact that you girls haven't used your powers for almost two years that's keeping you weakened. Mamoru is still unable to change into Tuxedo Mask, and we have no way of reaching the Outer Senshi. Hotaru is in Europe with her father and her communicator is at her house. Haruka and Michiru are in Hawai'i."

"Together," Artemis said in an implying voice.

Luna scowled at him before continuing. "Obviously. Anyways, to make matters worse, the gates of time seem to be in hiatus. We have no way of reaching Sailor Pluto, Chibi-Usa or Crystal Tokyo."

Minako thought for a second. "If we could learn Journeyman's identity, we could find out if we can really trust him or not, and maybe he could explain about the Shadow Zone and the Klijargans. I mean, isn't it believed that the Kiseinan Flower originated from there? We could learn a lot from this Journeyman."

Artemis smiled. "Very observant, Minako-_chan_."

"Thanks!"

"It's just a shame that you can't observe the clock."

"Huh?"

Luna sighed as she pointed at the clock. "You're going to be late for school."

"Observe _this!_" The two cats received a first-class flight out of Minako's room into the hall.

*.*.*

Tetsuya couldn't figure the whole thing out. A person in the right frame of mind would be screaming to know how they had gotten out of the Shrine, to the site of the skirmish and back without being noticed. But memory spells were a pain, and every time Tetsuya tried to think logically, something more important came up, like a piece of lint on his collar or the patter of the tiles in the bathroom, and the thoughts about his transport to the battle were pushed aside. He knew something was up as he knew that there had once been a time when he knew the identity of the Senshi, but for some reason, he was too busy looking for shapes in the bumps on the coating of drywall on the ceiling. This continued until the day of the dance.

After a vicious battle of words about the conductive properties of Minako's chain whip, Ami and Makoto became friends again, and with a year of catching up to do, the two chatter bugs left Usagi and Minako to do some catching up of their own. Rei was left to fend for herself at the T.A. Academy and kept herself occupied by simply thinking about the strange aura Tetsuya gave off. All she knew was that he and the mysterious Journeyman were good guys. She decided not to bother pursuing her quest when she would see him again at the dance. That was her night to be with Yuuichirou.

.

.

.

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Disconnected ramblings from the author...

Well, it's been a busy week. I've decided to put my notes with my story rather than posting them on deviantArt. So...this chapter was originally 4 1/2 pages and titled First Attack. The major changes is that Tetsuya actually wanted to tell the Senshi that he was Journeyman and that the Senshi knew he had discovered their identities. In the original version, Tetsuya has no intention of revealing his identity and has his memory erased by Luna who is observing the battle. Also, Tetsuya simply left the shrine. Not very plausible when there's a killer swordsman running around a mile away...

Other than that, this chapter is what it is. Have to be careful with song lyrics not in the public domain, and the villains have been revealed, though not really introduced. Well, it's off to the dance next! I should have a lot more to talk about with that one in my notes section.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

_Awkwardly Stumbling In a Falling Motion Towards Love_

_ Be careful what you wish for, it just might come true._ Ami got the worst present one could possibly imagine on her 18th birthday, a Dear Jane letter from Ryo. Then her appointment to shadow her mother was postponed by the hospital. Instead of hiding away during the dance, somehow the Rabbit had found out about Ami's change in Saturday plans and she was gang-badgered by all four of the Inner Senshi to come to the dance with them. 40,000 Yen in allowance money up in smoke for a dress she might never wear again. And when things couldn't get worse, she met up with Tetsuya on the train.

_ You sure know how to clean up..._Tetsuya wasn't necessarily _bad_ looking by any stretch of the imagination, but he sure as hell wasn't a Mamoru. Or a Ryo. He wasn't even an Umino or a Yuuichirou. Then on top of it, he and Ami saw things eye to eye _literally_ as the two were the same height, and practically the same build. Even without secretly being Sailor Mercury, she was sure she could have at least dragged the fainted hero to her apartment.

Then again, Tetsuya did have some nice qualities to him. He was smart, friendly, clever, and had a bad habit of making passes at her despite being Makoto's date to the dance. He had also saved her life, and that definitely got him noticed by her on a subconscious level. _My scrawny, scrubby, fainting hero._ Despite the cloud of gloom and the slap in the face of seeing him now, she had to smile at the thought.

Tetsuya met her glance and quickly looked away shyly. That got Ami giggling. "Oh," he said. "Um, like, wow. Uh, you."

Ami nodded her head in an informal bow. "You, too. You really clean up nicely." The two had known each other for three weeks, yet Ami had never seen him in anything other that his uniform, his scrub-skater outfit the day they had met, and when he borrowed some of her father's old pajamas when he crashed for the night while the experienced workers of Juuban's constantly damaged infrastructure worked their magic.

_This is your last chance, Mako-_chan. Ami was free and she had her target within her sights, but she and Makoto were on talking terms again after a heated discussion about electricity that wasn't about electricity at all. The two took verbal stabs at each other, cried a bit and hugged it out. They then spent the next week making up for lost time. Despite Makoto's repeated claims of disinterest, Ami wasn't about to snatch Tetsuya away on the train ride to the dance, but she couldn't help but wish that Tetsuya and Makoto left the dance as good friends rather than a couple.

Tetsuya had a perfectly fitted black suit with a rose red vest and a cream colored shirt. From the sheen of the suit, Ami assumed it was silk. She no longer felt like her wallet had taken the most abuse. His dark hair had grown out a tad in the last few weeks, but not enough to have any type of style. It was still just a crew cut, but it looked a lot better than when he had dropped on by that Sunday in August.

Ami's dress was a creamy white sleeveless dress that started at her neck and fell to her calves, covering her front but showing off her smooth back. It seemed like a good choice as it wasn't too desperate, but the colors were very neutral so she could match just about anyone at the dance who had any shade of white on their outfit. Like Tetsuya...

"Ami," Tetsuya stammered shyly, "I'm...uh, glad you decided to come. Here. To the dance."

"I was forced here against my will," she replied with a smirk.

"I'm sorry you couldn't find a date."

She shrugged. "That's alright. Didn't really have a chance to corner Kenji and shop for a dress."

Tetsuya cleared his throat, but it was in a way that made it seem more like he was gathering courage than actually clearing his throat. "So, um, how about we share the first swing dance, eh? I've been practicing."

Ami smiled. "Sounds like fun, although Mako-_chan_ and I usually did that stuff. She was strong enough to throw me into the air."

"They play swing a lot nowadays?"

"Yeah, about once or twice an hour, they'll play 40's American Big Band jazz style. It really seems to be coming back into style."

"I gotta tell Makoto that I only learned the male's part in the dance."

Tetsuya's comment made her laugh just as the train lurched to a stop. Tetsuya stumbled and Ami caught him by his sleeve. _Yup. Definitely silk. Is that why the rest of your wardrobe is so cheap or non-existent?_

"You're coming to my belated-birthday party next Friday, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"Mako-_chan_, how's it going?" Ami smiled and bowed as Tetsuya turned around and saw Makoto enter the train car they were on. She wore a black velvet, low-cut dress with a skirt that flared and ruffled out and fell to her knees. Ami noticed Tetsuya and Makoto staring at each other in silence, both of them flustered by the other. The odds weren't looking to be in her favor. _Crud..._

*.*.*

"You're...really beautiful," Tetsuya finally managed to say mostly stammer free.

"Thanks," she replied hesitantly, "You look handsome, Tetsuya. I mean...wow." The hue of Tetsuya's face almost matched his vest and Makoto was starting to turn almost as pink as her earrings, which to no one's surprise, she was wearing. The train started again and Makoto sat next to Tetsuya. Ami smiled at them while Makoto was looked off in the distance, a nervous smile of her own. Tetsuya laughed on the inside. _For a girl who's not boy crazy, you sure are bringing out the big guns. Haha, you'd knee me where it hurts and stomp me flat if you could read my thoughts. Man, you sure are pretty_.

Tetsuya looked over at Ami in her white silky dress that fell to her calves and showed off her smooth back, but didn't accentuate her 'cannons' the way Makoto's dress did. While Ami's hair was simply combed, Makoto let her normally pony-tailed hair fall, but adorned it with two red hair clips. Ami wore two small spherical silver earrings while Makoto had her tell tale roses. Tetsuya couldn't help but notice Ami's expression seemed a bit forced. _Ami, I really do wish Ryo could be here for you_.

"Hey, where are the others," Tetsuya asked.

Although he had asked Makoto, Ami responded. "Rei-_chan_ and Yuuichirou are riding with Minako-_chan_. Usagi-_chan_ got a ride on Mamoru's motorcycle. Hey Mako-_chan_, tell Tetsuya about the time you figure skated with that one guy." Ami and Tetsuya exchanged glances, Ami saying 'there ya go,' and Tetsuya saying 'thanks for the help.' One thing led to another, and the three were eventually engaged in a full-scale conversation during the trip to the Shinjuku ward of Tokyo.

*.*.*

The trio walked towards the entrance of the dance hall and saw their friends waiting for them. From inside of the dance hall, Tetsuya heard an Italian techno song called "Blue." The meaning of the song could be interpreted many ways, but the lyrics were shady and in English. Although Ami had a solid grasp on it and Minako was fluent, Tetsuya, for reasons unknown, just could not emulate that language properly. He decided to focus on the music instead of the lyrics as they closed in on their friends.

Tetsuya looked at the group before him. Umino Gurio and Naru Osaka were already horribly dancing together to the techno. Umino wore a well-fit white tuxedo with a fedora and cane that perfectly complimented Naru's figure fitting white dress that only came down halfway to her knees.

"Hey, Yuui," Rei's fiery voice sounded, "aren't you going to escort me in?"

_Domestic abuse, anyone?_

"_Gomen, gomen!_" Yuuichirou Kumada sped to Rei's right side and offered his arm. She smiled and took it. Yuuichirou wore a nice pair of khaki pants and a red shirt, which matched Rei's skin tight crimson dress that was far shorter than Naru's dress.

_Man, the eyes on that girl with that dress make her a real knockout. Have fun, Kumada_-san. _Just keep her away from any sharp objects and don't turn your back to her..._

Tetsuya looked at Minako, who wore a flowing orange dress that touched the ground. It was sleeveless and the gloves she wore went up to her elbows. As usual, she had on her red hair ribbon. Although she had no date, she was intent on finding a boy on the dance floor as 'that one guy' had decided his date with her wasn't a date after all. The only two missing were Usagi Tsukino and Mamoru Chiba.

_The rabbit of the moon and the defender of the Earth. Sounds like the title of a lousy Japanese romance movie from the sixties. Then again, if it doesn't sound Japanese to me, I'm supposed to have no idea what it is_. Tetsuya looked at the entrance to the parking lot as he heard the engine of a motorcycle. His crystal clear vision matched the unique hairstyle of Usagi, and he knew it was them. As the bike got closer, Tetsuya saw that Mamoru was wearing a black tuxedo with a vest, and Usagi wore a white gown that seemed to make her look like a princess.

"Sorry we're late," Mamoru said, "traffic's backed up a bit."

"Hey," Usagi commented, "they're playing that funny song about a blue man named Dabadai."

The group shook their heads while Tetsuya smiled. _That's her, alright._

*.*.*

It was like a mini-reunion of Juuban High at the dance for Ami. The twins Motoharu and Motomi Kurita had taken Lila Abiko and Ayako Midori, though no one was sure which twin was which. Ayako and her sister, Omi, were classmates of Usagi's and Omi was with Kenji Yamato. Ami was familiar with her Monday habit of wearing her pink hair in pigtails, which always reminded Usagi of Chibi-Usa. For the dance, she was wearing her hair in two balls similar to Usagi's, but there were no tails. She was squinting a lot because she had left her glasses at home. Additionally, Unazuki Furuhata, who was alive and well and not the red head on TV the night of the attack at the Crown Plaza, was also dateless and guy hunting with Minako.

"Ami-_chan_," Usagi said while putting her hand on Omi's shoulder. "You gonna pitch in for a quarterstaff for her going to college present?"

Ami gave Usagi a look of confusion. "Huh?"

"She's getting laser surgery on her eyes over the summer and her braces come off just before graduation. After the transformation, she's gonna need that stick to beat off all the boys at college."

Ami winced. "You mean beat them back..."

"Potato, potahtoh," Omi said as she rolled her pink eyes. Usagi did not seem to grasp the double meaning of what she had said.

"Well, you'll definitely need the stick."

"Thanks, you two! Dance time!" Omi yanked a grinning Kenji towards the floor as a short drum solo played in the first Big Band song of the night.

"May I have this dance," Tetsuya asked while Makoto went off to allegedly freshen up.

"Show me what you got," Ami said with a wink.

*.*.*

Tetsuya smiled at Yuuichirou's expression. He was holding Rei tight and she was resting her head against his chest with a content look of her own. Over in the corner, Usagi and Mamoru were locking lips yet again. In another part of the dance floor, Umino and Naru were grinning and giggling, staring into each other's eyes, touching their foreheads and noses together with a quick kiss here and there. _Very tactical that my date goes back to the bathroom during the first slow dance, and now she'll get to be nervous about the next slow dance until it comes. Girls_… Tetsuya looked over at Ami, who was still breathing a little heavily from the swing dance that had just played. "You look like you had fun."

Ami smiled at him. "Really, that was fun. I think you got me higher off the ground than Mako-_chan_ had. I was even a little scared for an instant, being up that high."

"I'd never let you fall." _Just like I sense you'd never let me fall, whether literally or euphorically_.

Ami looked at Tetsuya, as if trying to find any depth in his statement, then just smiled brightly. "Well, you owe me."

"Yeah, I do." He remembered vaguely when he passed out after the attack with the disappearing gunman the day they met.

"Just look at Naru and Umino."

Tetsuya snapped out of his reverie. "I know, they're as much friends as they are boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Yeah. They look so good together, like two kids having a good time."

Tetsuya put his hand on Ami's shoulder. His senses told him Ami was wearing thin in her emotions. "Don't worry. You'll wake up one day and realize, Ryo comes home today." Ami had a pained look on her face. _Dammit, I think I miss-read her_.

"It's not like that anymore."

"What do you mean?"

She just shrugged. "He wrote me, saying that I should pursue relationships with other people."

As if the gods of Earth had a cruel sense of humor, the song by Haddaway called "What is Love" started playing.

"It's over between us. That's why I came here. I had nothing else to take my mind off of it. I probably would've shown up here anyways even if the other four hadn't twisted my arm."

"I'm sorry, Ami-_chan_. I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't know. Just, have a fun time with Mako-_chan_. I'm gong to find some cute guy. Hopefully, I'll have better luck than Minako-_chan_."

"Setting the bar a little low?" Tetsuya took his hand off of Ami's shoulder and looked over at Minako, who was pouting with her arms crossed and her shoulders hunched. Tetsuya laughed on the inside. _It's that bow in your hair, Minako. Makes you look like you're twelve. And I don't think you want_ that _type of guy_...

Tetsuya started walking over to Minako and smiled at her. "You wanna share a dance sometime tonight?"

Minako looked surprised. "Uh, aren't you with Mako-_chan_?"

"We're not steady or anything like that...I think. And, she's taking a good while in the ladies' room." Tetsuya honestly had no idea what was going on or what he was doing. He and Makoto had bonded a bit during the week after the attack at the plaza, but suddenly Ami was back on the market, and he found himself giving Minako a pity dance, but was it really out of pity? The lovelorn volleyball star herself was also up for grabs, but then again, neither Ami or Minako had dressed up for him the way Makoto had. Might as well stick to the 'nice guy' story arc for now...

Minako straightened up, uncrossed her arms and smiled. "I guess that'd be fun." Minako looked over Tetsuya's shoulder and hunched over again. "Awww, shucks! There's Mako-_chan_ now!"

Tetsuya turned around to find his date for the dance looking around, hopefully for him. He started towards her when Minako grabbed his arm. "Hey, pal, you owe me one. _Wakarimasuka?_"

"You have my word." Tetsuya and Makoto made eye contact, and they smiled at each other.

"Let's dance," Makoto said.

Tetsuya smiled. _It's about goddamn time_.

*.*.*

As the night rolled on, Makoto slowly opened up to Tetsuya and the two connected, truly connected with each other. As they talked, something inside of them clicked and they got a lot closer. But one miscue, and then another misreading, and another incorrect interpretation led to a slight problem. Tetsuya had no idea that Makoto had been the butt of a cruel joke the year before at a similar dance, and repressed feelings were about to boil to the surface.

*.*.*

The decision wasn't easy to make, but it wasn't hard, either. Tetsuya knew he was still a bit of a two-faced, back-stabbing bastard from surviving the last nine years of his life, but the decision was clear. He wanted to be Mako-_chan's_ boyfriend. Ami was probably too fresh off of being dumped by a letter to want to think about dating right now, and Minako seemed to be a bit put off by Tetsuya's presence during lunch for some odd reason. As the slow song came to an end, Tetsuya steeled himself for what would come next.

"Mako-_chan_, listen, I kinda promised Minako that I would dance with her if she couldn't find someone, but, I feel there's something between us. Perhaps we should consider, uhhh..." Tetsuya struggled with the words. _It looked so easy in those TV shows._ "Do you wanna go steady with me?"

"Huh?" Makoto just looked at Tetsuya.

"I mean, there's something different about you than most of the girls here."

"Wha...?"

Tetsuya sighed. "You and I are not typical Japanese citizens. I'm always seen as a _gaijin_ by those who don't know me, and you, well..."

"Well?" Makoto did not look too impressed.

"I'll be honest. You claim to want to own a small bakery shop and become a bride and housewife, but I sense in you great strength and wonderful dreams. You're limiting yourself. You could do so much with your life."  
"What do you know about it?"

_More than I would ever want to tell you_. "I've seen it so many times back in Chiba. Young women had dreams, but bowed down to the expectations of their society. They became nurses, clerks, or nothing at all but a bride. I mean, there's nothing wrong with falling in love and getting married, and we need nurses and clerks, but…"

"And what am I supposed to do? Go into business? Perhaps invest in real-estate?"

_I think I over-extended myself here. I'm practically walking on eggshells now_. "You have something in you. I don't know what it is, but I sense it's something wonderful."

Makoto's expression lightened up a bit. Tetsuya had retaken some ground. "Something wonderful?"

"I don't know what else to say. You're like a rose in the desert. I'd really like to know more about the mysterious Makoto Kino."

Makoto released her grip on Tetsuya, and shook her head. "No boy wants to know me for who I am." Makoto turned away from a shocked Tetsuya, and walked off of the dance floor.

"Mako-_chan_, wait!" _What did I do wrong?_ Tetsuya felt a soft tap on his shoulder, and turned around to see a concerned Usagi. "I didn't do anything!"

"Tetsuya," Usagi started, "there's something you need to know about Mako-_chan_."

Tetsuya was perplexed, but forced a straight face. "Did you hear our conversation?"

"It's not your fault. It's just, I need to speak with you."

He took a few calming breaths before wording his response, but words weren't cooperating, so he settled for one. "Alright."

"Please don't judge her..."

"Usagi, I'm a minority here. I think I know what it's like to be judged. Besides, we all have dark sides to us. I'm sure I can take whatever you want to tell me."

Usagi blinked twice before continuing, as if trying to search for another meaning in his words. "Okay. A year ago, a boy from school had asked Mako-_chan_ to a dance. However, it was part of a prank. The dance was a formal one, but she was told to dress casual. When she arrived, a large number of her peers started laughing at her, and the guy said she was too poor to afford nice clothing. She then punched him in a rage, breaking his nose."

Tetsuya had an angry look on his face. "Why did he do something like that to her?"

"Most of the students see her and the other girls I hang out with as outcastes. They seem to have fun torturing us."

"Those bastards." _Easy, Tetsuya. You're technically one yourself_. "I'm sorry, but it's not right to hurt someone like that for amusement. Even if I hated someone, I would never do something like that to them." _That's probably the biggest lie I've told anyone on this planet so far..._

Usagi smiled. "Although that boy was Mamo-_chan's_ age, he wasn't half the man you are. Mako-_chan_ is a good girl. She deserves a nice guy like you."

"Do you think she could trust me not to hurt her?"

"I hope so. Let's try and find her. I'll look on the roof, okay? Don't worry, I got your back!"

"Sure. I'll…check the parking lot…dammit!" Tetsuya hurried off in search of his date, hoping she wasn't half way to the train station already.

*.*.*

In the semi-private environment on the roof, Rei and Yuuichirou, with the company of a few other daring couples, were having a fun evening in their own way. Rei giggled as Yuuichirou slowly ran his hand from her knee up her thigh and onto her butt while planting kisses on her neck. "You're such an animal, big guy."

Yuuichirou looked at her, confused, and took his hand off of her rear. "Am I doing something wrong?"

Rei grabbed his hand and put it back. "No, silly. That's a compliment!" Rei cut off his reply by placing her lips on his and forcing her tongue into his mouth. The two continued kissing hard for a moment and Yuuichirou slowly moved his hand from Rei's head down her neck, and towards her chest. "Ohhh... I'm so glad I finally just admitted to myself that I love you." The two were interrupted by a shout.

"Dammit!"

Rei looked over and saw Makoto coming out of the door way, and jumped away from Yuuichirou.

"Did I do..." Yuuichirou started.

"Hush, Yuui!" Rei said in a harsh whisper. She saw that her friend breathing heavily as she walked to a secluded area of the rooftop. The other couples on the rooftop resumed their activities and Yuuichirou looked around, searching for a cue of some sort. "Just wait here, I need to talk to her."

"Rei-_chan_, why do we have to be so secretive?"

"It's my grandfather. Don't even think for a minute that I don't love you," a smile crept from the corners of her mouth, "no matter how foolish you are sometimes. I just don't want the others to know how intimate we've become." She bowed, intentionally low to show her cleavage and started walking towards her friend. As Rei got closer, she could hear Makoto sobbing. "Hey, Mako-_chan_, what's wrong?"

Makoto replied in a smothered voice, her head buried in her arms as she leaned on the safety border of the rooftop. "I'm such a goddamn idiot."

"Easy, there. Just talk to me. What happened?"

"Tetsuya asked to go steady with me, and said some of the nicest things I've ever heard from a boy, and I blew up in his face and walked out on him. I don't deserve someone as good as him."

Rei tried to think of something to say, but the right words just wouldn't form in an orderly fashion on the spot for her. She simply put her hand on Makoto's shoulder. "It's alright."

"No, it isn't."

"Just listen to me. If Tetsuya's the great guy you say he is, then he'll be willing to listen to you and you two can straighten this out."

"He reminds me of _Sempai_ the way no other boy has. It's like Shinozaki came back to me as Tetsuya Journey."

Rei thought for a moment, knowing that the conversation would be uncomfortable. "It still hurts. I know. My father's absence reminds me every day that my mother is dead. I know how good Shinozaki treated you."

"Tetsuya is an angel among men. He's even more mature than Mamoru was when he first met Usagi."

"Who _isn't?_" Rei said trying to break the tension. It didn't work. "Please, talk to him. If he is the nice guy you proclaim him to be, then he'll listen and forgive."

"Alright, I'll try."

"Mako-_chan_!" Makoto and Rei turned around to see Usagi walking hurriedly over to them. "There you are."

Usagi grimaced when she saw the tears on Makoto's face. "Did you talk to him? He must think me as some paranoid..."

"Mako-_chan_! He's looking for you to apologize. He feels awful."

"But it was my fault. He spoke words to me that should have made me fly, and instead I shot him in the face. What was I thinking?"

"He's not angry at you."

"Well, I'm angry at myself."

"It's going to be alright."

A silence fell upon the three and time almost stopped. Neither of them knew what to say next. They just waited in silence until Tetsuya arrived.

"Makoto?" Makoto looked at him, and Tetsuya stopped dead in his tracks. "My god, I'm sorry."

Makoto shook her head. "It's my fault, really."

Usagi and Rei exchanged glances. "Should we go," Rei asked.

Makoto nodded. Usagi went through the door leading to the dance floor, and Rei went back to Yuuichirou.

Tetsuya walked up put his hand on Makoto's shoulder. "Mako-_chan_, please, talk to me. What made you so upset?"

"Men, no, _boys_ have always resented me because of my brute strength and my aggressive nature, and being tall doesn't help either. Everyone thinks I'm a bully."

"I don't care what others think of you. I like you. Okay? I _like_ you like you. I want to learn more about you."

Makoto put her hand on Tetsuya's. "What you said about me being a desert rose, was it true?"

"Every word."

Makoto moved close to Tetsuya, and took his free hand with her other hand. "You're truly a godsend." Makoto put her arms around Tetsuya and embraced him. He returned the gesture. "Can we just get out of here? Let's just go to a restaurant and get something to eat, then we can just go to my place afterwards."

"Makoto, can you make me a promise?"

"A promise?"

"No matter how blind I may seem, no matter how mad you get at me, always be willing to talk to me. I'll do the same. I may be able to pick up on stuff, but I can't read minds."

"That sounds fair. I promise."

"I promise, too."

Makoto hugged Tetsuya tighter. "Let's go, okay?"

"Let's…oh, wait…"

"What is it?"

"I promised Minako a dance tonight."

Makoto chuckled and forced a mock suspicious look. "Yeah. Why _did_ you do that?"

"Well, no one else would dance with her."

Makoto smiled. "You're so sweet!"

Tetsuya and Makoto made their way back down to the dance floor. A slow number was playing. Tetsuya spotted Minako dancing with someone. When they made eye contact, Minako smiled and mouthed 'I'm fine.' Tetsuya smiled back at her and noticed that she had removed the ribbon from her hair. He gave her the thumbs up and then left with his girlfriend.

*.*.*

As Makoto and Tetsuya left the rooftop, Rei smiled at Yuuichirou. "That's so romantic. Hey, where were we? Oh, I remember." Rei cut off Yuuichirou's reply again by kissing him. As if on cue, Yuuichirou placed one hand on her rump and slowly brought his other hand down her neck and onto her chest. "You know, when I graduate from Juuban High, we'll get married, despite what my grandfather thinks of you, and then we can finally go all the way."

Yuuichirou blushed. "Go all the way?"

Rei nodded and flashed a playful smile. Yuuichirou just looked blankly into the distance for a while, when suddenly a primitive smile spread on his face. Without warning, he practically attacked Rei with his own unique style of foreplay. Rei gave no objections.

.

.

.

.

Notes from the author that may or may not follow any specific train of thought...

Well, definite changes from the summer of 2000. Vanilla Tetsuya was more confident and too goody-goody to even think about stealing Ami or Minako and leaving Makoto high and dry. He was already intent on asking Makoto out before the dance. The current Tetsuya is trying to do what he thinks is the right thing, but he doesn't always do it for the right reason, like offering Minako a dance early on. He was subconsciously keeping that option open even though he was seeing Ami as available. What an asshole...

Oh, the original title was simply Falling in Love, and it was almost merged with the next chapter, but it was getting just a tad big and I've come to the decision to keep the two chapters separate.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

_With Or Without You_

News traveled fast, and bad news always traveled faster because it cheated and shoved good news down at the start line as the race began. "_Tadaima_," Ami mumbled. There was no reply as her mother was on shift again. Tetsuya had made his move, and after some drama, Makoto accepted and the couple left to get something to eat. Ami locked the door and went straight to the freezer to get some ice. She felt that she had done more damage to her knuckle than to the heckler's cheek, but such things happened when you were a lone girl in a pretty dress on a train late on a Saturday night, and Ami didn't pardon drunks when they put their arms around her after several verbal warnings.

A slight smile came to her face when she remembered Usagi's priceless expression after Ami had elbowed another offender in the gut the day Ryo had left for America. She was wearing the dress she had met Tetsuya in and it got some unwanted male attention. In both cases, the offender had scurried off at the next stop. "_Itai_..." The ice almost burned at first as she patiently waited for the numbness to come. Hopefully, the rest of her would get a little bit of numbness as well...

*.*.*

Ami had left right after Makoto and Tetsuya, but the rest of the group stayed for another hour. The highlight of the evening was when Ayako and Omi traded shots at the other for being too loose with her partner while the twins were bragging about who was getting further with his date. Kenji decided to enter the argument, and both twins had to concede to him and a flustered Omi Midori, but by the end of the night, she didn't seem to care what the others thought of her as she and Kenji snuck up to the roof.

Eventually, midnight came and the lights turned back on. Mamoru barely came to a stop as Usagi hopped off, allowing him to flee the playful wrath of Kenji Tsukino, despite dropping Usagi off early. Rei and Yuuichirou were eventually ambushed in the middle of the night on the Shrine steps by a disappointed grandfather who gave them an ear full about slacking on their chores. Minako left in utter defeat after spying her catch making out with some floozy. Unazuki had the same bad luck and got a ride home with her. But for Makoto and Tetsuya, the night wasn't over just yet.

*.*.*

"_Hai, douzo_," Makoto said as she opened the door for Tetsuya. He bowed in thanks and preceded her into the small apartment. _Small, indeed_. It almost seemed like an expanded office cubicle based on its size. _Or lack thereof_. As he entered, he noticed a small heap of wrinkled clothing coming out of a doorway roughly five meters dead ahead of him, most likely the entrance to the washroom. As he cleared out of the doorway, Makoto followed him inside. He then noticed a small sofa resting up against a kitchen counter with a small stove behind. On the stove's left was a small mini-fridge. _Of course, she doesn't have a microwave. I guess she's serious about becoming a chef_. Or was it a baker? Or a cook? Tetsuya's mind began to wander as it wondered what the differences were between a baker, a cook and a chef when Makoto pulled him back to Tokyo.

"You can hang your jacket up here if you like," she said, pointing to a mounted coat rack behind the door as she closed it. "I'm going to change real quick. Just make yourself at home."

"Sure," Tetsuya replied. _Change into what?_ Tetsuya fought hard to control his thinking, but not that hard. _Lingerie?_ _Bedclothes?_ _Who am I kidding?_ _'Real quick' is female talk for 'don't hold your breath while I slowly put on sweatpants and a flannel shirt.'_ Makoto walked behind the kitchen counter and into another room on the right, obviously her living space. After she disappeared from view with a wink and shut her door, Tetsuya turned to his right. Although there was a small TV and an old VCR on top, he took notice of all of the pictures along the wall.

From stickers and wallet-sized photos to small posters, there was hardly a spec of wall showing within the range of the picture armada. Some spots of wall could be seen creeping up on the corners of slightly bent photos or along the sides of some of the larger and oddly shaped pictures. Some pictures were in mint condition while others had their share of battle scars from small tears and creases caused by many rearrangements. For the most part, the pictures seemed to be in chronological order based on Makoto's life. None of them were framed, which made sense as frames weren't cheap.

Tetsuya already knew that her parents had both died in a plane crash when she was little. It seemed that she had taken every picture of them she could get her beautiful hands on. There were pictures of her parents in high school together, a picture of her mother showing off what seemed to be an engagement ring, wedding photos, one with Makoto's mother pregnant, obviously with the girl who was changing in the other room. As he looked closer, he noticed Makoto resembled her father more than her mother, although they definitely had the same hair.

Tetsuya smiled at the next picture. It showed her mother, pale with sweat soaked hair, holding a little baby wrapped in a blanket. Makoto's first picture! She seemed tiny, almost premature like him when he was born. It was amazing how she had grown into such a tall, strong young woman.

Tetsuya looked into the next phase of Makoto's life; her early childhood. There were pictures from her being bathed by her mother to her crawling around in diapers. A larger photo of her in a field with a dragonfly on her nose caught Tetsuya's eye. She had the exact same hairstyle then as she normally wore now, only it was a little shorter back then. He looked closer and thought he could make out two rose earrings. They were probably clip-ons.

Tetsuya moved on and saw a sudden jump in Makoto's growth. She was missing one of her front teeth, had a short, boyish haircut, and was standing next to a woman who looked somewhat like her father. Tetsuya then understood that he was looking at one of the first pictures of Makoto since the loss of her parents. _I guess I was lucky to at least have had one parent for eight years_. The woman standing next to her was her aunt who had raised and taken care of Makoto. The resemblance between the two was unmistakable, although her hair was dark and straight.

The next phase of pictures took Tetsuya throughout Makoto's time when she still lived with her aunt. The missing tooth eventually switched places in the growing girl's mouth, and soon she had a full set of white teeth. Another picture that surprised him was one of her class pictures. Makoto was about the same height as all of the other children, which was obviously not the case for present day. The print said fifth year elementary. She was around eleven at the time.

Then, for her sixth year elementary photo, she towered over the other children. Even in the back row, she had nearly a head over the nearest competitor. She had grown an entire foot over the course of one year! For a Japanese girl twelve years of age, such a feat was practically unheard of. Tetsuya then focused on the picture a little more. He saw how Makoto had a bruise on her cheek. When he saw the last picture of the set, first year junior high, Makoto's smile seemed forced and less genuine. Makoto's peers did not seem to take too well to her sudden surge in height. He assumed that was when the bullying and the fights began.

One picture alone stood out, a class of its own. Set in between first and second year junior high, Makoto had her arms around two kids, a boy and a girl. He instantly recognized the girl as a younger Tomoko Takase, the girl who had written the first book he ever read in Japanese. Tetsuya had never seen the boy in the picture. He looked at the small writing in the corner. "Tomoko, Makoto and... Shinozaki," he said, almost choking on the last name. Makoto had known Shinozaki, her sempai, from her old school before being expelled and moving to Juuban. From what Tetsuya understood, Tomoko and Shinozaki had been her only friends at Shinjuku Junior High.

Tetsuya moved onto the next set. The first picture showed Makoto with her new class at Juuban for second year. She stood out by her height, modified uniform to accompany her height, and her half-hearted attempt at anything resembling a smile. He even noticed a hint of nervousness from the students on either side or in front of Makoto. He continued over one to see a picture of Makoto with Usagi, Ami and Rei at the Hikawa Shrine. He guessed that Minako had still been in England at the time. There were a few more pictures with Makoto and her friends from Shinjuku, and some more of the Juuban group, with a few near the end of second year with Minako.

Tetsuya continued his journey through Makoto's life over into third year. Mostly, all of the pictures were the same, only five new faces stood out, but Tetsuya ignored them for the time being. The only picture that really caught his attention was a picture with the five girls in bikinis at an outdoor pool somewhere. To no surprise, Rei had her backside to the camera and was looking behind her in a seductive, yet also innocent manner. This caused him to smile. _Yuui, if you knew I was looking at your Rei like this, you'd probably beat the snot out of me_. She was still way off limits, but he could still steal a glance.

Tetsuya moved on until he got to a sudden patch of wall where a picture began. Tetsuya could only guess that it was the last picture taken of Shinozaki before his death. It was probably in a secure or personal place. The hole in the pictures drained Tetsuya's interest in the remaining photographs as they were all pretty much the same.

*.*.*

The gentle noise of the dress falling to the floor made Makoto think of a wedding gown and the sound it would make. She had never thought about such things before that moment as she had never wanted to make that sound for anyone until that horrible day she heard that her Sempai had died. It was at that moment she first felt she truly loved someone and was afraid that she would never love anyone ever again. She finished undressing and looked at the picture of Shinozaki she kept in her room, taken the day before the accident. While the pictures on her wall had kept expanding even after the accident, the hole where it had once been remained, just as the hole in her heart remained.

Makoto turned her attention to the mirror on her wall that only had a couple cracks in it on the bottom. She looked at her body as she had done countless times in her life, but it was different that night. She felt odd staring at her body with a boy on the other side of a thin, vertical layer of plaster and drywall that separated them. Why was she doing it? She had to wonder what her brain was thinking as it seemed to have a mind of its own, sometimes. _It's not like he's going to see me like this..._

She turned back to Shinozaki's picture, almost self-conscious of herself, as if he could actually see her. She strode over and picked it up. "Sempai," she whispered, "how many times have I undressed in front of you? Are you spying on me from heaven now?" She ran her fingers along the cold glass, almost believing she could reach into the frame and touch him one last time. "I know you loved me. I know you were always afraid I'd say no to you. I was such a fool to have the same stupid fears and chase other men who wanted nothing to do with me. I've...found someone. Please don't be jealous. Please give us your blessing." She hugged the picture and threw on some clothing. She held her breath as she turned the knob. _Here goes everything..._

*.*.*

The sound of the door opening grabbed Tetsuya's attention. Makoto walked out of her room and smiled at him. Tetsuya couldn't help but smile back. She had changed into figure fitting cut-off jean short-shorts and a dark gray tube top, but what caught him off guard was that she had let her hair completely down! In the three weeks that he had known her, he had never seen her with her hair flowing freely.

"Mako-_chan_…" he said, barely keeping an even tone.

"So," she replied as she turned the corner of the kitchen and started walking toward Tetsuya. "I take it you like what you see?"

Tetsuya merely nodded in reply. Even barefoot, she still had half a foot on him. As she closed the distance, she spoke again.

"And I like what I see." She put her arms around his neck and he instinctively put his hands around her waist. She drew him in close, even closer than when they had danced. "Those things you said to me earlier tonight, you made me feel a way I haven't felt in such a long time."

"Yeah…uhh…."

Tetsuya's nervous reply was cut off when Makoto kissed him gently on the lips. They held the kiss for a long second. She smiled tenderly and he just blinked stupidly. They then kissed again in the same slow, gentle manner. Tetsuya closed his eyes the second time. Makoto then ran her hand through his short hair and smiled at him again. She gently turned his head and whispered to him, touching her lips to his ear. "Do you love me?"

Tetsuya breathed in deeply, both by the shock of the question and the sensation of her lips caressing his ear. He was so off balance as he had never actually been close like this with a girl he actually liked on an emotional level. Just like his blinking, he merely nodded in a stupid fashion.

Makoto turned his head and put her lips on his other ear. "I want you to say it. I want to hear you tell me that you love me."

"I love you," he whispered, now starting to shake.

"Again."

"I love you, Makoto Kino."

She responded by giving Tetsuya a bear hug, almost squeezing the life out of him. "I love you too, Tetsuya Journey." Makoto finally let up on the hug and caressed his face with her hands and guided him in for a longer, deeper kiss. Tetsuya felt her tongue pushing into his mouth and followed suit. It seemed the right time for him to take the offensive. After they finally broke contact, Tetsuya started kissing her on her neck. She made a quick, soft sighing noise.

_Damn, I love that noise!_ Tetsuya worked his way to Makoto's collarbone and up the other side of her neck, going higher towards under her chin. Makoto giggled.

"That tickles," she said.

"Really…" Tetsuya said mischievously.

"Don't you dare…" Makoto didn't have time to finish her sentence as began suddenly began tickling her belly. Makoto screamed in surprise but fought back by letting her dead weight drag him to the floor. She then put her arms around Tetsuya's waist and used her brute strength to roll them both over, putting Makoto on top. She sat up, still straddling him and shook her head and smirked playfully. "I told you not to try that."

Tetsuya smiled up at her. "You think this is going to _discourage_ me?"

Makoto chuckled. "I guess not." She bent down to kiss him again and Tetsuya ran his left hand down Makoto's back and grabbed her butt. Makoto smacked his hand. "Hey!"

"What?" Tetsuya returned Makoto's mock stare.

"Well…"

"Well, what?"

Makoto just looked at Tetsuya for a few seconds and shook her head again. "You're such a horny devil!"

"Well, I've never made out with a girl as good looking as you."

"You know, you seem a little more experienced than just getting 'a few kisses.'"

"Ami told you that?"

Makoto nodded. "Word of advice, lover boy. Girls talk."

"Well, I had just met her. I didn't think it would've been appropriate to describe my adventures in foreplay to her."

"Ahhh. So, how far _have_ you gotten?"

"Are you wearing a bra right now?"

"Excuse me! And I asked the question first!"

"Well, it pertains to the question you asked."

Makoto shifted herself so she wasn't straddling Tetsuya anymore and laid down next to him. "No, I'm not wearing a bra."

"Okay. If you had been wearing one, getting under your shirt would be the farthest I've ever been." _I wish that were the truth_. Tetsuya willed himself to push away thoughts of the past and focused on the beautiful young woman lying down next to him. Tetsuya suddenly saw another opportunity and rolled over on top of Makoto.

"Ooohhh…" she swooned. "Hello. Um...no. You're not gonna break any records tonight, sweety." Tetsuya started to get off but Makoto grabbed his arms. "Don't just give up, now."

He smiled down at her and put his hands on her face, then squeezed her cheeks together and laughed.

"Knock it off," she giggled as she did the same thing to him. The two laughed at each other.

"So tell me," he said as he let Makoto's face return to its normal dimensions. "How far have you ever gotten with a guy?"

"I've never actually kissed a guy before tonight."

Tetsuya arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

Makoto grabbed him by his collar and yanked him down. "Shut up and kiss me."

Tetsuya kissed her on her cheek.

"That wasn't what..."

Then her ear.

"Ooohhh...better..."

He gently bit down on her lobe. "Ouch!"

"Sorry! Sorry..." In the heat of the moment, she had dug her nails into the back of his neck.

Tetsuya rolled off of her and smiled at her. "Nah, that's okay." He then noticed she was looking at just below his waist. "Oh..." He covered himself, causing Makoto to break out in laughter. He followed suit.

"I guess that's enough for one night."

*.*.*

After their intense encounter that didn't quiet draw blood, the two decided to watch a bootlegged English movie on the VCR called _Titanic_. The movie was incredibly long, not finishing until three in the morning. It was entertaining enough, although he was a bit more into action movies and comedies. Makoto seemed to be enjoy it, and she spent all three hours cuddling with him on what she called her couch, even though it was technically a loveseat.

In all of Tetsuya's experiences on his home world, he had never actually cuddled. As a matter of fact, he had never truly been in love before. Holding Makoto close to him seemed to make all of the pain and suffering in his life disappear. Even the knowledge of the oncoming storm that was the Klijargan Empire could not take that moment away from him. He was holding in his arms the woman he loved, and he would do everything he could to help the mysterious Sailor Moon win the religious trial the Klijargans would start.

Indeed, it was a night Tetsuya would not soon forget. Those three words which were so hard to say came flowing out of his mouth. _I love you, Makoto Kino_.

*.*.*

As the credits started rolling, Makoto looked at the clock in the kitchen area. "Oh, it's past three in the morning already?" She wiped the last stray tears from her eyes. It was a somewhat sad ending, after all, but not _that_ sad. Maybe she was using it as an excuse to cry about something else.

"Yeah," he replied. "The last train for the night ran an hour ago." Tetsuya shrugged. "I don't mind sleeping on the couch." Tetsuya yawned. "Yep. I am definitely up past my bedtime. You turning in too?"

Makoto nodded.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later in the morning."

"Actually…"

"Hm?"

Makoto thought to herself for a minute. "Would you mind sleeping on the floor?"

"Um...no? I guess not."

"Well, I don't feel comfortable showing you my room. There's a very personal photo in there that I haven't shown to anyone."

Tetsuya looked over at the patch of wall in the mesh of pictures. "It was Shinozaki, right?"

Makoto nodded. "The last picture of him before the accident."

"So, why do you want me to sleep on the floor?"

Makoto sat up and slipped her arms around Tetsuya's neck. "Because I want to sleep next to you, and the couch is too small for the both of us."

Tetsuya just looked blankly with a look similar to his blink and nod from earlier. A stupid, blank look.

Makoto rolled her eyes at him. "You know what I mean. Look," she sighed and shook her head. "I'll just be up front with you. When I wake up, I want you to be the first thing I see. I missed my chance at love with Shinozaki, so I'm going to make the best of us and what we have." Makoto looked away, slightly embarrassed. "And what might come."

"Wow."

"Yeah. So, will you?"

Tetsuya ran his hand through Makoto's soft hair. "You bet."

Makoto quickly pulled Tetsuya in for a short, but passionate kiss. "Don't think it's going to get wild down here. I'm too tired for round two."

"It's okay, we have the same blood type if I start running low."

"...no," she said with a wink.

"If you insist. _Oyasumi,_ babe."

"_Oyasumi_, my love."

*.*.*

The first rays of sunlight washed over Makoto's eyes, pulling her out of her lazy slumber. From the amount of light, she could tell it was in the late morning. She looked across to see her Tetsuya still asleep. A quick peek at her kitchen clock told her that it was almost eleven. She was supposed to be at the shrine by one to discuss tactics about the pending invasion by the unknown Klijargan military. Looking again at the sleeping Tetsuya, she sighed. He was so handsome, so sweet in his sleep, just like a little boy. She didn't want to wake him. Not just yet. She just wanted to watch over him as he rested. But her duty as a Senshi compelled her over her emotions. At least she could wake him up right.

Makoto slowly leaned in and gently kissed Tetsuya on his lips. "My love," she whispered. Tetsuya opened his eyes, and smiled, but not before one of his cute little stupid stares.

"Well," he replied groggily, "aren't you a sight first thing in the morning."

"I'll make breakfast."

She stood up and started walking towards the kitchen when she heard Tetsuya whistle at her. She turned around to see him smiling playfully.

"I got the best view in the world."

Makoto glanced at her shorts, and rolled her eyes. "_Ecchi_." She kept walking towards the kitchen, only slower.

"I can still see some cheek."

Makoto responded by smacking her bottom to tease him. She started looking at the contents in the mini-fridge when she felt Tetsuya hug her from behind. "Knock it off if you want breakfast. I got somewhere to be by one."

"I'll take one helping of Mako-_chan_, please." Tetsuya started kissing the back of her neck and worked towards her shoulders.

"Mmmm...How do you want her?"

"With very little dressing."

Makoto smiled. She decided that if she got Tetsuya out the door by 11:45, she could make it to the shrine by one and bum some food off of Rei. Makoto broke Tetsuya's grasp and took his hand and led him to the couch where she sat him down on top of her. "Your order is served."

*.*.*

"Nice impression of Usagi-_chan_ coming to school," Ami said to Makoto who had burst into the room eight seconds before her clock sat 1:00.

"Heeeyyy! Not nice..." Usagi frowned.

"Look at Ami-_chan_," Minako said cheerily. "Making jokes."

"Someone had to pick up my slack," Rei said with a smile.

"Blaahh...guuhh...fwuuhh..." Makoto blurted, still out of breath from the last leg of her trip.

The five settled in and Makoto wolfed down the snacks Rei had brought for her. The conversation about the Klijargans was delayed as the girls wanted to learn about Makoto's evening first.

"So," Usagi started, "how was the after-party? Where'd you two go afterwords?"

"Back to my place," Makoto replied. "We grabbed a bite to eat at McDonald's. He really likes that place."

"_You_ brought a boy home?"

"Yeah."

"That's a bit forward," Minako said.

"Well..."

"People could get the wrong idea," Rei added.

"But he spent the night at Ami's right after they met!"

"There were extenuating circumstances," Ami said calmly.

"My circumstances were extenuated!"

"Was he trapped there due to lack of transport?"

"Well, no..."

"Boring," Usagi belted out. "Tell us the good stuff."

"Oh. Well, I brought him back to my place, and..."

"Why are you eyeballing my food," Minako asked.

"Sorry. Didn't have breakfast. I couldn't get him out the door until almost noon!"

"He spent the night with you?!"

"Yes. Wait...not like..."

"You're not eighteen, yet! You should at least be virtuous in your affairs until you're an adult."

"But I..."

"You and Tetsuya..." Usagi tilted her head. "Well, you were safe, right?"

"What?!"

"This is serious," Rei said. "We can't have the Senshi of Jupiter eating for two!"

"But...huh..."

"This is awful," Ami said with a neutral expression. "Usagi's already carring Tetsuya's first love child." The other four turned and stared at her as if her head was on upside down.

"That's not funny," Minako said.

She scowled at the group. "Will you all lighten up and shut your gobs? Let her explain herself and stop jumping to conclusions!"

"...okay," Makoto said after recollecting her thoughts. "From the beginning. I brought him home with me. We...kissed and...stuff..."

"Stuff," Usagi asked. "Wat kinda stuff...OW!"

"Hush," Ami said after pinching Usagi's leg. She had learned the technique first hand from Rei, and it worked rather well.

"Right. So, um, we...stopped and watched that bootlegged Titanic movie and we just sat there the whole time, cuddling on the couch."

"I thought it was a loveseat," Usagi said.

Ami rolled her eyes. Apparently she hadn't done it right...

"Oh, sorry..."

"Whatever, the loveseat," Makoto continued. "So, _poof!_ It's 3 A.M. Trains aren't running anymore. He sleeps on my floor."

"Why didn't he just sleep on the loveseat?"

"We both wouldn't fit on it...uh..."

"Just keep talking," Ami said.

"Oh. Well, I...I wanted to stay with him, so I pulled out the guest futons. I...I just wanted to see him when I opened my eyes."

"Oh, that's so sweet," Usagi said as she hugged Makoto.

"Thanks."

"So, what kind of stuff?"

"You're a pervert."

"Am not!"

As Usagi and Makoto argued the way Rei and Usagi normally had, no one noticed Ami's distant expression.

*.*.*

Tetsuya got ready for the next day as soon as he got back to his room. He was eager to get to school again and see his girl. Maybe he could brew up another 'study' session. He hardly had any thoughts about Ami or Minako as Mako-_chan_ was the only girl he wanted to think about. He did a strenuous workout in an effort to tire himself out quicker so he could force himself to go to sleep earlier without relying too heavily on magic. However, a good night's sleep eluded him as he kept waking up from a bad dream he couldn't remember the instant his eyes snapped open.

*.*.*

No matter how badly she wanted to not remember, Rei never forgot a dream. As much as she hated it at times, her dream visions had been important many times in the past. That night, she found herself in the hazy room with the cracked mirror again. That evening, she saw the shadowy outline of a young woman.

"Save me," she pleaded in a whisper.

Rei tried to speak, but only silence escaped.

"Save me," she begged again.

Rei felt a burning sensation on her arm and saw a fiery figure brush past her and climb into the mirror. She was unable to look away or turn around.

"Save me," the shadowy figure pleaded one last time as the fiery figure took out an icy knife and slashed it across her throat. The shadowy figure faded away. "Avenge me..."

The fiery figure looked back at Rei and threw something towards her. She caught it and saw a pair of glasses in her hands. Then, the dream ended.

.

.

.

.

Author's notes.

This chapter didn't even exist in the original version. I added it in '02 after spending the night at my girlfriend's house. We didn't do the buck-nasty or anything like that, but it was a very profound moment in my life. Um, also threw in Makoto's little talk with Shinozaki, added the intro with Ami and the others going home, and the meeting at the Shrine with the girls harassing Makoto about her exploits. Then there's Rei's dream. Oh! Also, Tetsuya got under Mako-_chan's_ bra in the original '02 edition. I toned that down, too. Keeping it T for Teen, here.

Back when this chapter was just about Tetsuya and Makoto, it was called _With You_. It was a tribute to the Avril Lavigne song "With You." Good 'ol fashioned punk Avril, not the pop one, although "When You're Gone" was a really good song, IMHO. Well, _With or Without You_ is a tribute to the U-2 song.

Wow. Two chapters at once. It's amazing how much I can get done in three hours with no internet while waiting for my wife's appointment to come to a close.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

_Chasing Rabbits_

_It's too late... avenge me..._

Tetsuya opened his eyes only seconds before the alarm clock went off. He thought he heard a voice whisper something about avenging, but he'd been having bad dreams all night that were forgotten the second he woke up.

"Dammit..." he mumbled as he stumbled out of the bed and silenced the alarm clock for another twenty-four hours. It was another Monday and time to get ready for school. Time to get ready to see his Mako-_chan_! But first, the news and current events on the TV. He clicked the power button of the remote and dropped it at the sight on the screen.

"Again," the voice from the TV said. "We cannot confirm if this is a hoax or genuine. Police are not releasing any information in regards too..."

Tetsuya yanked the cord from the wall. _He_ had come, and that meant that they were here. They were all here already. _Will I even get to see Mako _-chan_ again?_ He closed his eyes and began chanting the mantras of peace and calm. He hated relying on them, but he needed to function. He needed to be ready to come to the Sailor Senshi's side at a moment's notice, no matter what. Would he even make it through the day without having to give up his identity in front of everyone? Would he even make it through the day at all?

The image on the TV flashed through Tetsuya's mind again. It was a Polaroid of a dead girl stripped to her undergarments. There were cuts all over her and a message carved onto her belly. The face had been blurred out to the point where he couldn't even tell the color or length of her hair, but the letters were clear and precise. And they were in Klijargan.

'Traitor, keep your eyes upon the tower. I'll bring another friend of yours to keep things interesting. Do you think you can save her at the falling of the sun? Jorvist.'

Someone he knew was dead. Was it his beloved Makoto, the girl he had finally been able to utter those three evasive words to? Was it Ami Mizuno, the first friend he had made after falling from the sky? Was it the goofy and lovable Usagi Tsukino who could melt the heart of an ice giant in deep space? Was it the sometimes eloquent and sometimes aloof Minako Aino? Was it the mysterious soul devourer Rei Hino? Was it one of his classmates? Was there really only one victim? Were they _all_ dead already, save the one he would bring to the Tokyo Tower?

A false and empty calm flowed through him like a clog through a pipe after being broken up by a drain cleaner. Jorvist was an initiate in the Klijargan Elite Corps and a former Scout like Tetsuya. He was even more powerful than Vendeusi and his crimes against life itself made the first attacker's rampage look like a misdemeanor. _I hope her heart gave out_. Tetsuya knew what the faceless young woman's last moments had been like and hoped against all hope that she had died quickly, but he didn't believe it to be true. Jorvist knew how to keep a victim alive...

Was he already working on another victim? _Is my Mako-_chan_ safe?_ He had to get to school. He had to know! _Please be safe..._

*.*.*

Usagi yawned and rubbed her face, making a silly vocalization while doing so. After a few weeks, the other students thought nothing of her antics and accepted it as her norm, for lack of a better classification. She had been woken up earlier by a frantic Rei who was calling everyone over the communicators and telling them about her dream and making sure they were all still okay. As annoying as an early wake up call was, that one truly scared her. What if someone else had already been murdered by the Klijargans? Fifteen people had lost their lives the day Vendeusi appeared out of nowhere and began killing people just to get her attention. Fifteen fatalities and zero injuries. Was there a sixteenth victim already?

She hadn't been able to go back to sleep and showed up at school early that day. As the hands of the clock inched closer and closer to the start of class, she thought of something to ease her mind. Omi-_chan_! Omi hadn't shown up, yet. Unfortunately, Ayako was also not there. Usagi hoped Ayako would make it on time, but as long as Omi was late, it'd be okay after all. She started smiling. _I'll get to laugh at you this time, Omi-_chan_!_

Usagi had despised Omi the moment she met her when she started laughing at her for being late the first day of second year. She started to like her during lunch that day when Omi shared half of her food with a starving Usagi after apologizing. The two had been close acquaintances, but never really did anything friends did. Usagi was going to change that! After she had her laugh at Omi, she was going to invite her and her sister over for supper. Or maybe even have them crash Ami's belated eighteenth birthday party on Friday. _Ami-_chan_ won't mind!_

Five... four... three... two... one... "Whhhooooooo!" Usagi realized the whole class was staring at her. She then saw the folly of her plan. If Miss Sakurada wasn't there, Omi wouldn't be marked as late. _Cute, Omi_-chan._ Real cute._

*.*.*

"Dammit," Kenji Yamato muttered as he and Tetsuya slid into their class just seconds after the tone sounded. Fortunately, Mr. Kawazu wasn't there yet. "Oh, good."

"They can't prove a damn thing," Tetsuya said as he glided towards his desk behind Ami and next to Lila. Kenji did his odd walk to his desk behind Tetsuya and next to Motoharu, or at least Motoharu was supposed to sit there, but Tetsuya wasn't completely sure as he and his twin Motomi switched places from time to time just to be funny. The teacher's inability to not laugh at it did nothing to discourage the pranksters. "Hey, Ami-_chan_." _That's all four of 'em, and no one's absent from my class today. Oh, Usagi... I'm so sorry._ It was Rei. He kept mumbling the calming mantras under his breath while scratching his unshaven stubble to cover it up. He knew Rei and Usagi were close and had just recently made up after a longstanding disagreement or something to that effect. _I swear he won't take anyone else away from you!_

Ami smiled at him. Although the smile was genuine, she had a defeated look to her. "Why is your shirt wet?"

Tetsuya quickly finished the mantra and shrugged. "I was only allowed to let Kenji out of the locker he got stuffed into after I got swirlied, which is why we were _almost_ late."

"Ew."

"No, no. I have the utmost faith in our janitorial staff." This got a few chuckles as most Japanese students were responsible for cleaning their own school, including the lavatories.

"Well, I'm guessing you're dying to brag about what happened after the dance?"

"Mako-_chan_ didn't tell you and the others?"

"She was being a bit tight-lipped."

"Well, I think I'll let her decide what to divulge."

"That means nothing happened," Lila said.

"Not exactly nothing, but fairly close."

"That's not what happened with me and my Omiko," Kenji gloated. "Got some rooftop action with her. I guess I'll have to wait until lunch to see her again, thanks to those stupid bullies."

"Good for you," Lila said. "You've corrupted a sweet, pure young girl for your own personal gain."

"Pure, yes, but pure hotness! She is a very lovely, lively, confident young woman and shouldn't let foolish social stigmas shame her from being honest with herself and her desires, me being one of them."

"Wow. Um, anyone else wanna brag?"

"We struck out," the twins said in unison.

"Which one was your date again," Tetsuya asked Lila, getting a glare from her and a snicker from Ami.

She looked at the twins who weren't giving any clues. "I guess it doesn't really matter." The one in back winced. "Him." Had Tetsuya not been silently dreading the fact that Usagi would be told her close friend was dead, he would have wondered which one was which as he never figured out which one took Lila and which one took Ayako Midori.

"Kenji Yamato," Mr. Kawazu said softly as he stuck his head into the classroom. "Please come with me." He had a very serious look on his face.

"_Hai, Sensei._" The group shared uncomfortable glances as Kenji walked out to the hallway.

*.*.*

"I know you're weird," a male classmate said, "but usually not _this_ weird."

Usagi looked to the back of the class. She wasn't familiar with his name yet, even though school had been in session for three weeks. "Omi's late and I'm not. I get to do the giggling this time."

"That's kinda mean," the girl next to her said. Her name was Keiko... something. "Sure, she only laughs at you when you're late, but I thought you two were friends."

"Oh, we're friends alright! I'm just gonna have a quick laugh at her expense before I pass along my friend's invitation to her eighteenth birthday party. Besides, Omi-_chan's_ a great sport!"

Something-_san_ shrugged. "Well, I still think it's kinda mean."

Usagi smiled. "Just a bit, I guess, but it's all in good nature, or whatever the saying is!" She looked back at the door. "C'mon, Omi-_chan_, it's a Monday. Show us those cute little pigtails of... _Ohayo, Sensei!_" _Game, pair, um... something._

Miss Sakaruda glanced in the room quickly with a very worried look on her face. With only two seats empty, it was apparent who was tardy that morning. "Miss Tsukino," she replied softly before disappearing into the hallway again.

"Eh?"

"Do you think something happened," another student asked. Usagi really needed to pay more attention to the names of her peers. She looked back at the empty seat on her right where the little pinky was going to sit after standing out it the hall for a bit. But what was all the gloom and doom about? As the jovial mood began ebbing away to worry, Usagi and the rest of the class wondered just what was going on.

*.*.*

"_Pleeeeeaaaaaasssseeee?_" Minako begged. "I want details, Mako-_chan_!"

"I'm telling you, nothing really happened."

"C'mon, _something_ happened."

"You're worse than Usagi."

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"And shameless."

"You've known this for years."

"Fine, fine. We kissed."

"Open or closed mouthed?"

"Both."

"Tongue?"

"...a little."

"Touchy-feely?"

"He grabbed my rear."

"Anything else?"

Makoto wondered if her face had more red shading than her earrings yet. She knew the other students were listening in. _Screw it. To hell with what they think! _"He nibbled on my ear and I dug my nails into his neck. The end."

Minako opened her mouth for the next question when a boy's scream of utter despair was heard.

*.*.*

"...Was..." Lila looked around nervously as everyone in the room felt a sickness rising in their stomachs. "...was that... Kenji?"

"Yeah," Ami said. She and Tetsuya exchanged nervous glances.

"What's going on," Tetsuya asked.

"I...I don't know, Tetsuya."

*.*.*

"What was that," another student asked.

As the class looked around in a state of fear and confusion, Miss Sakaruda walked back into the classroom. Her eyes were alert and darting around the room as she paced for a moment trying to gather the will to say something. "Class," she said softly. "I..." She ran her hands through her hair and took a deep breath. "Earlier today... Omi Midori was... f-found..." She buried her face in her hands and sobbed silently for a few seconds before hoarsely whispering. "Murdered."

*.*.*

Rei dropped her school bag. Another ripple of pain and confusion from those she was closest to caused her to gasp, this one overbearing.

"Nice one, psycho klutz," one of Rei's classmates remarked. "Are you trying to make a scene to get the attention your daddy never gave you or your mother?"

The only thing keeping the nameless wench alive was the seriousness of what was happening, but as quickly as it came, it ebbed away. She'd have to wait until lunch to pick up the trail again with a short meditation. She picked up her bag and carried it with her to homeroom.

"Oh, so you're too good to talk to me too, is that it, you slut?"

_Yes, but saying I'm better than you isn't really setting a high standard for comparisons..._

*.*.*

Usagi didn't hear them. She _wouldn't_ hear them. _Get me away from these incoherent idiots!_ She heard noises that were voices making words, but she didn't truly hear them as she slowly stumbled out of the class and into the hallway. She put her hands over her ears to block out the lies and the mutterings. _Japanese! Do you speak it!_

But the sounds continued as she was forced to pick out the occasional noises of Tsukino and Usagi. Why wouldn't they just go away? "Shut up," she whispered. They were mistaken. Omi was alright. They found someone else, but Omi and Ayako were going to be at Ami's belated birthday party on Friday. Usagi would even pay for the gifts for them because it was such short notice, and Ayako would know what to get for Ami as the two had been classmates for a year. It was a perfect plan, but first she had to get away from the simpletons who didn't know what they were talking about. "Shut up, you imbeciles..." Then the intercom added its bull to the mix...

*.*.*

"_Mina-san_," a voice over the intercom said, breaking the silence. Ami and Tetsuya looked at each other. Again, Tetsuya looked at her, asking her what was going on, and all she could do was look back because she was just as in the dark as he was. "I regret to inform you all that earlier this morning, fellow student Omi Midori was killed. That... is all."

"No..." Tetsuya lowered his head. The pink-haired girl who had captured Kenji's heart was gone forever. He squeezed his eyes shut as the tears rolled down. She had been so full of life and innocence, and she had met a gruesome and horrifying end at the hands of Jorvist. _It wasn't me you wanted to hurt, but those I care about. You _will_ be avenged, Omi. I swear it!_

*.*.*

"Shut up," Usagi growled again as two of her classmates tried to help her. "Shut up!"

"Tsukino-_san_, please."

"Let us take you to the nurse."

"Don't touch me..." _No..._ Usagi fell to the ground. _It can't be._ She curled up into a ball, holding her hands over her ears and shaking her head back and forth. _It's not true!_ The shaking and the sobbing began. _It can't be true. Omi-_chan_? Where are you?_ Then, cold reality finally sunk in. It was so innocent and so light-hearted, but the vile truth stabbed at her heart. Her last thoughts of Omi Midori in life had been silly, petty ones of insignificant vengeance. "Oh my God...Omi-_chan_..."

*.*.*

"Usagi really took it hard," Minako said at the lunch table. "She had to be escorted home because she was so upset."

Ami nodded. "Do you think this murder had something to do with the Klijargans?"

Makoto glared daggers into the distance. "They're all monsters!"

"Maybe so, but we don't know for sure that this was even one of the Klijargans, or if all of the Klijargans are like that."

Makoto's gaze bored into Ami. "Seriously? You saw what that Vendeusi did to those defenseless people just to get us to fight him."

"I know, but Journeyman is also a Klijargan, and he saved Mika from a deranged gun man. I saw him do it. He even endangered himself to help us defeat Vendeusi after getting cut pushing Rei out of the way of one of his attacks. There must be _some_ good in the ranks of the Klijargans."

Minako's lower lip quivered. "Whatever you say, Ami-_chan_, but Omi was barely sixteen, and although she laughed at Usagi and me when we were late, she was still a nice person. She even apologized for her giggling tantrums." A tear rolled down her cheek before she could catch it. "Dammit! I swear, I'll make whoever did that to her pay!"

"Remember..." Makoto started, her own voice stating to shake. "Remember that one time she pestered, egging me on for no reason? There was no fear in her eyes, just an innocent exuberance. She... she knew I wouldn't hurt her. She just felt like being a pest and saw that I was alone. She didn't believe what other's thought of me." Makoto rubbed her eyes before continuing. "Oh, of course you don't remember. You were both absent that day. I'm so sorry, but if only you could've seen her. It had been such a lousy day for me up until lunch. She then compared her food to mine and whined that she'd never be able to make food as well as I did after we exchanged bites. Before I could say anything to her, she was gone, off in her own world, not caring for this one. It felt so good to be treated like a normal person by someone I had just met."

"Yeah. She used to boast that she could beat me in a one-on-one volleyball match just to be silly." Minako started laughing and crying at the same time. "I want to watch him die. I want to see the person who did this die!"

"Hey guys," Ami whispered. "Be quite. Tetsuya's coming."

Minako quickly wiped the tears away and stopped its cousins before they also broke the line of her lower eyelid and the three girls nodded their hellos to Tetsuya. He returned the gesture with a solemn look as he sat down next to Makoto and took out his lunch. He noticed Minako's expression. "Are you going to be okay?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, I'll make it through the day, I guess. I hope the bastard gets fried."

"I... knew about the incident early this morning from the news, but at that time, the police weren't even confirming if the Polaroid was a hoax or not. I had no idea it was..." He was unable to finish his sentence as he wiped his eyes.

"Do you think it was one of those new people who did it? Perhaps it was that mysterious Journeyman who did it."

Tetsuya's jaw dropped as he stared wide-eyed at her. "Wh-what?"

"He had the same outfit as that thing that butchered fifteen innocent people."

"That's crazy," Ami said softly. "If you consider..."

"That's stupid," Tetsuya hissed at Minako, cutting off Ami as he blinked, a tear streaming down his left cheek. "I mean, are you serious?" He wiped away the escapee. "We all saw the footage when he saved that little girl. I remember you talking about seeing the footage of when he helped the Sailor Senshi kill that thing that murdered all those people. How could you even _think_ something like that? You really _are_ stupid, and all this time I thought it was just an act!" Tetsuya shot up and stormed off.

Ami stood up. "Tetsuya, wait."

"Shut up and leave me alone!"

Minako lowered her head as Slouch stomped off. "He's right," she said softly. "It makes absolutely no sense. Me and my big gob..."

"It's okay," Makoto said. "You and Slouch can make up later. Listen. They're releasing students who wish to leave for the day. Usagi needs us right now. Let's get out of here, okay?"

Minako and Ami nodded silently, leaving their untouched lunches behind.

*.*.*

Rei didn't care. She'd thought she stopped caring years ago, but the first three weeks had rooted out a few care stragglers from her being. Now she _really_ didn't give a fart. She would have even laughed at the reactions of her, for lack of a better word, _fellow_ students, had the situation not been so serious. In an all female academy with a fairly short skirt as part of the uniform, seeing a girl in the uniform with sweat pants underneath was quiet unusual, even for that one Shinto freak, as she was often called. While there were other girls at the academy not particularly of the overall Christian persuasion, Rei was the only openly active practitioner of Japan's ancient religion. Wearing sweatpants was just icing on the top, but her skirt by itself wasn't appropriate for a lady sitting in a meditative position in public.

But, she didn't care. She didn't respond to the harassing remarks or the odd stairs as she hurried towards where she was obligated to be during her lunch break. She ignored the jeers as she sat down on top of her table and sat upright, chanting the words of power as she forced away all outside distractions and began to meditate.

"Ren, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!"

Within minutes, she heard nothing from the material world as her mind transcended to the spiritual realm. _Ren, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!_

_ Who are you?!_

Rei opened her eyes and only took a mental note of the small crowd that had gathered around her. What had just happened? Who was that other voice?

*.*.*

Tetsuya didn't care. He knew he was probably going to be serving before and after school detention for a week, but he didn't care. He never checked in with his teacher after lunch, he simply left without a glance back. He was losing control and he needed to get away. After spending the morning worrying about Makoto's existence, he lost his cool and went off on her best friend right in front of her. He then snapped at Ami. He had to get away and he didn't care about anything else. They deserved better conduct from him, but in his current state of mind, he was fearful of a repeat of what happened on Yutygo...

Thinking of that world wouldn't help, so he retraced the message Jorvist had carved for him. He wanted to wish that Omi was already dead when he started carving the message into her flesh, but he knew better. He knew Jorvist too well. _Traitor, keep your eyes upon the tower. I'll bring another friend of yours to keep things interesting. Do you think you can save her at the falling of the sun? Jorvist._ The sicko had probably already selected his next victim, and there was nothing he could do about it. She would have been acquainted with Omi, somehow. It was a short list. Makoto, Ami, Minako, Usagi, Lila. Possibly Naru or Rei. Ayako was safe because Jorvist would want her to live on with the pain of losing her little sister. He fought his instincts to rush to Makoto's side or to try and gather the girls into one place. He was no match for Jorvist by himself and if he interfered with his sick and twisted game, he'd simply kill his next target on the spot.

_So you've finally snared me in your twisted games._ The only way to save the next victim was to face him in combat. He knew she'd still be alive at the beginning of the battle, but was the game rigged? Would he even have a legitimate chance to save her? Would he have to watch her die in front of his eyes?

_...at the falling of the sun...help me, Sailor Senshi. Please!_

_Ren, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!_

"Who's there?!" Tetsuya materialized his sword and searched the room. Nothing. _Who are you?!_

Again, nothing.

*.*.*

"Ex...cuse me, Hino-_san_," one of the seventh graders who didn't know any better said, "but are you alright?"

"Don't bother," said one of the upper classmen. "She's too good to talk to any of us."

"That's right," Rei said sarcastically. "I'm too used to people talking crap to my face and loudly behind my back to care anymore." She looked at the foolish seventh grader. "And if you have _any_ sense at all, you'll tell all your friends what a bitch I am unless you want to hate every school day for the next six years of your life." Without another word, she closed her eyes and went back into a meditation state.

Instead of even trying to pick up on the cold trail of the voice she heard, she focused on her vision again. The dream began once more, and Rei couldn't remember hating her gift more than she did at that very moment. The shadowy girl was there again, little puffs of smoke wafting from her neck. As Rei closed in on her, she saw the outline of a ball of hair on one side. The terror in her heart subsided, but only slightly, when she saw no tail of hair flowing from the bun. She walked up to the figure and touched her face. The darkness of the shadow lifted like frozen breath, revealing the face of Omi Midori.

"My sister will need closure," she pleaded. "Avenge me."

"Oh,_ Kami-sama_..." Rei's eyes shot open. The crowd was still there, and in addition to sweat pants, Rei was wearing a few pieces of food, but it didn't matter.

"Is it the end of the world," yet another student asked mockingly.

The only thing keeping her tears and temper in check was the overwhelming need to get to Usagi. After her stunt of charging out of the academy towards Juuban High two years earlier when Usagi needlessly blew her Rei-get-over-here-pronto whistle just to test it out, she knew that she would be forcibly detained if she was caught trying to leave campus during school hours again.

_Hang on, Usagi-_chan_. Your Rei-_chan_ will be there as soon as she can._

*.*.*

_Where are you, little bunny girl? What secrets does the golden rabbit have that the pink one did not?_ Jorvist had gone from slightly amused to utterly frustrated with his inability to find his next target, Usagi Tsukino. Somehow, she would only flicker from time to time on the ship's tracking system. She was _perfect_ for his next target. Omi was survived by a protective older sister, and Usagi had a little brother as well as a fiancé. His observations over the time between Vendeusi's death and his execution of the brat had revealed much about Pethospoe.

The traitor had made friends. He had become somewhat close to an Ami Mizuno and possibly intimate with a Makoto Kino. Usagi was Ami's best friend, and he wanted to see Pethospoe watch his good friend lose her best friend. And they both had those ridiculous buns at the dance! The brat had even kept her hair up through Earth's Sunday and had bled out wearing them. Jorvist cut one off as a souvenir, and it would nicely match a golden one with a tail. But he had to find her first.

"Bah!" He had never been known for patience and abandoned his search for Usagi. Might as well take a bit more of a direct approach with the traitor. He was classmates with a shapely lass named Lila Abiko. She would make an acceptable target to draw out the Senshi and the traitor, who seemed to be going by the title of Journeyman.

Usagi could wait. After Jorvist had killed Sailor Moon, he would be allowed to hunt her and every female stupid enough to befriend that runt from Aschothiyl at his leisure. He'd even keep Pethospoe alive long enough to see his lady friends snuffed out one by one, and then he'd put out his eyes after the last one so her body would be the last thing he ever saw before living out his days as a blind prisoner. Yes, he'd kill Makoto Kino last. He looked down at a gift he had for Sailor Moon, wrapped in a blood speckled shirt, and smiled.

*.*.*

After half an hour, Tetsuya dematerialized his sword and turned on the TV. There may be a chance that he would know ahead of time who the next target was. He kept toggling through the channels for about an hour until both his prayers and fears came true at once. A missing child alert had been filed for Lila Abiko. She had been seen leaving Juuban High but never made it home. Tetsuya rushed out the door, knowing what was happening. At the falling of the sun. It was past noon, so the sun was already falling! _That motherless son of evil!_

*.*.*

It had been too easy. Rei had been able to fake being sick after forcing down a cold can of asparagus and throwing up in class. Rather than go to the nurse's office, she changed into her street clothes that were not covered in vomit and snuck right out one of the windows. There were many advantages to being small and petite. With any luck, she wouldn't have to hear about it until her grandfather began berating her at the Shrine.

_Damn you, father!_ The only reason she hadn't transferred to Juuban High was because her father allowed her to stay at the Shrine in exchange for her attendance at one of the best schools in all of Japan. He was still her legal guardian and she was still seventeen. All he had to do was summon her to live with him and she was legally bound to obey or become a runaway and risk incriminating anyone who gave her shelter without promptly turning her in. _Why was I born an Aries?!_ Until the seventeenth of April, she was still a minor and under the guardianship of her father whom she only saw one day a year, which just happened to be her birthday. Rei was indeed a very unusual teenager as she dreaded her birthdays rather than looking forward to them.

As the train came to a stop, she bolted out the door. She knew that Usagi was missing her and was eternally grateful to Ami for becoming so close to Usagi while Rei had gone into hiding. She knew Usagi, and she knew Omi's death while she was not henshined would leave her practically non-functional. She would be at home, and the other three Senshi would have found some way to get there already! They were waiting for her and...

_WHACK!_

After blindly rounding a corner, Rei bounced back and hit the ground hard. In spite to the pain, she knew she had just given whatever muscle head she had ran into a million dollar panty shot, but it _was_ still miniskirt weather. She opened her eyes and saw Makoto stumbling to keep her balance. She quickly shut her legs and shook off the haze. _I still don't think it was 'just a phase' with you..._

"Rei-_chan_," Minako said as she and Ami rounded the corner.

"You...three?" Rei looked again as Makoto helped her up. "You're not already at Usagi's?"

"We just left school," Ami said. "We're on our way now."

"How is she?"

The quartet started a quick walk down Usagi's street. "She was in a state," Makoto said softly. "She was somewhat with it when she left school, but she really took it hard. She almost saw Omi as a reflection of Chibi-Usa."

"You already changed out of your uniform," Minako asked.

"Oh, that," Rei shrugged. "I faked being sick by eating canned asparagus and puking right after lunch, and instead of going to the nurse's office after changing, I snuck out a window."

"Hmmm..." Ami regarded Rei for a moment. "You do look a bit paler than usual."

"Well, I _hate_ canned asparagus."

"But you kept a can of it at school with you?"

"In case I needed to get out of there in a hurry without raising suspicion."

"How did you know, though? Was it announced at your school as well?"

"No. A lot of the girls aren't Tokyo residents, so I guess that's why they didn't even bother making an announcement. I felt the shock through my vibes and I retraced the vision I had this morning during lunch. I saw Omi's face the second time, and I knew Usagi needed me."

Oddly, Ami smiled. "You were always the hardest on her and her biggest supporter when she needed it the most. You left some big shoes for me to fill."

"You were spectacular, Ami-_chan_. Always there in the background, keeping things together even though no one else even seemed to notice. And when it was your time to shine..."

"_Gomen Kudasai_," Makoto hollered as the four of them walked up to the porch. After a moment, a somber Ikoku Tsukino opened the door.

"Girls," she said softly. "Thank you for coming. Please, come in." As the four of them took off their shoes and walked in, Ikoku slumped onto the couch. "I knew you would come. She needs you right now. Please go to her."

Without another word, the four proceeded up the stairs. Rei hadn't been in Usagi's house in two years since when Seiya had also been there, yet it looked exactly the way it had back then with the addition of a Pokémon poster on Shingo's bedroom door instead of his old Dragon Ball Z poster. _You traitor._ In spite of everything, Rei smirked for a moment before raising her hand to knock on Usagi's door. Ami simply opened it and walked on in. The other two followed, and after a moment of appreciating the irony of how much Ami and Rei's roles and personalities had seemed to reverse, she followed suit.

Usagi was at her desk, staring blankly at an old folder. "I was thinking of a _shillelagh_," she said softly. "A quarterstaff isn't a quarter sized staff at all, it's more like three quarters of a long staff's length."

"Usagi-_chan_," Ami said, "we're here for you."

"Please, have a seat." Usagi kept looking at the folder. Rei walked behind her and saw on the folder a faded sticker from a photo machine. Usagi was wearing Omi's glasses and making a silly face while Omi was poorly trying to imitate Usagi's hair. "It took me awhile to get the pronunciation right. The word _cudgel_ just sounds ugly."

"It's alright," Minako said. "They're not easy words."

"You know, I lost the other picture, but it wasn't a very good one. Omi-_chan_ had the other two. I never did find out where she put them. It was such an odd thing. Last summer, we just ran into each other while I was on my way to pick up Ami-_chan_ from _juku_. After less than ten minutes, we parted ways. I always meant to do things with her, but she was very active outside of school and didn't have much free time. It wasn't really anybody's fault."

"I know," Makoto said. "Sometimes things just don't happen for no reason at all."

"I was going to invite her and Ayako to Ami-_chan's_ birthday party. It was such short notice, but I've been so busy I haven't even had time to spend my allowance and I could've paid for their gifts. Ayako would've had a good idea what to get. She was in your class for a year."

"That's right," Ami said. "First year. She went to the other advanced class the next year."

"It would have been Omi-_chan's_ class, but she was dropped back to intermediate. That's how I met her. So silly. Giggling at me for being late that first day. I was so mad at her. I hadn't eaten breakfast and had forgotten my lunch, too. She then showed up during lunch, apologized and offered me half of her lunch. You all know what a sucker I am for food."

"We know," Rei said, not knowing if she should laugh or cry. She did neither. "That's what makes you our Usagi-_chan_."

"This year, different circumstances but the same result. She was waiting for me. If I was late, she was gonna be late with me so I wouldn't be alone in the hallway. She's never late and I'm late from time to time. She even offered me half of her food again, but my stomach started feeling a little off from the food Tetsuya gave me."

"Sorry about that," Ami said with a smile. "My mom's not the best cook. She can't even bake cookies very well anymore."

"It tasted fine enough, but I don't think you're supposed to cook _tako sashimi_ like that." She looked back and counted. "Slouch isn't coming? He's like Umino 2.0."

"I... said something really stupid," Minako said after a slight hesitation. "It really set him off. He didn't go back to class."

"Do you have his number, Mako-_chan_?"

"I'm sorry, Usagi-_chan_," Makoto replied with a bow. "The thought never crossed my mind. I still don't have my own phone."

"It's not your fault. It isn't anyone's fault. It just didn't happen."

"Is Mamoru-_san_ coming," Rei asked.

"He's been under enough stress as it is, worrying about his job with his tendency to disappear from time to time. I really hope he isn't watching the news."

"Usagi-_chan_. Please, just let it out. Don't keep it bottled up."

"Soon, Rei-_chan_. I'll let it out when the time is right. Now isn't the time to fly off the handle."

"Maybe it is," Ami said. The group looked at her. She had an earpiece connected to her handheld computer. "The Journeyman's been sighted. He's at the Crown Plaza and yelling for us."

Rei stared in awe as the life suddenly returned to Usagi's eyes. "Goodbye, handle. It's time to fly!"

*.*.*

"Where is he?!" Tetsuya turned in time to see Sailor Moon tackle him to the ground. "Where is he?!" Tetsuya's suit didn't have a collar or a lapel to grab onto, so Sailor Moon grabbed him by the helmet. "Where?!"

"Tokyo Tower," he hollered back. "He has her!"

"Who?!"

Tetsuya saw the other four Senshi leap onto the rooftop he was on. "Lila Abiko."

Sailor Moon Yanked him up and shoved him towards the other four.

"Teleport us to Toyko Tower," they both said in unison. They made eye contact and nodded.

"Lila _will_ see the sun tomorrow," Tetsuya growled through his mask.

"But _he_ won't," she replied with a sneer.

"No, _he_ won't."

He noticed Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars looking at Sailor Moon with a touch of concern on their faces while a savage look of resolve crossed the faces of Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter.

"Sailor Teleport!"

The six warriors were hurled the short distance to the base of Tokyo Tower in a flash of light. A crowd had gathered around, looking up at first observation deck. Tetsuya could see two figures at a broken window.

"Ah, good," Jorvist yelled, his voice carrying one-hundred forty-five meters to the ground with a bit of magic to help. "The main event has arrived." He shoved the second figure out the window, holding onto her by the wrist as she dangled.

_Lila!_

"Let her go, you bastard," Sailor Moon hollered.

_No!_

"If you insist!"

He let go and Lila Abiko fell towards the ground below.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

_More Than One Way to Snare a Rabbit_

Tetsuya stared in terror as Lila fell, accelerating at 9.8 meters per second squared. There was nothing he could do. Jorvist had planned the entire thing from the beginning. The game had been rigged. He only kept her alive long enough so that Tetsuya could watch her die a terrifying death. He was helpless, he was powerless. But it wasn't his fault, he simply wasn't Sailor Moon.

"Quadruple Shabbon Spray Freezing!"

"Sailor Leap!"

As Lila plummeted to her end, Sailor Mercury's freezing mist shot towards her, slowing her descent, but it was only slowing her enough so she'd be terrified for a few more seconds before impact. Then Sailor Moon shot up, way up through the mist. Tetsuya didn't get to see if she was successful as he was hit square in the chest by an energy blast.

*.*.*

"Incoming," Rei yelled as Journeyman fell to his knees. The Klijargan foe was taking potshots at them from the observation deck. She threw Journeyman into a fireman's carry and sprinted towards Foot Town under the Tower, getting out of her attacker's field of fire.

"Crescent Beam Shower!"

"Supreme Thunder!"

"MOVE!" Rei was running through the crowd and over people who weren't getting out of her way fast enough. "Get out of here! Run!"

The small crowd began herding away from her and the battle. It was a good thing the Senshi responded so quickly, otherwise a much larger crowd would have gathered. Rei only hoped that the others could keep their enemy occupied long enough for the bystanders to get away before he decided to start taking potshots at innocent people.

"Take...the sword..." Journeyman moaned.

"None of us know how to use one," Rei replied. "Keep it. If you get a second wind, we'll be waiting for ya." Rei literally dumped him off of her and sprinted back, ignoring his 'oof.'

"Take her," Usagi yelled as she was carrying Lila towards Rei. Ami was lying face down on the ground. Rei hoped it was because she passed out from using too much energy and not because she was also hit.

"Is she alright?"

"She still came to a quick stop when I caught her." Usagi handed Lila to her. She was conscious and visibly in a lot of pain. "Moon Princess Halation!"

"Where does it hurt?"

"Yes," Lila whispered.

"You'll... be just fine. Hang on!" Rei sprinted to Journeyman and gently laid Lila down next to him. He was already on his hands and knees. "Keep an eye on her!"

"Will do," he replied.

Rei ran back out to the battle through a steady rain of broken glass. It looked like Tokyo Tower was having another bad day and wouldn't be reopening in time for Keiro no Hi the following Monday, but that wasn't a concern of hers. Minako was also lying on the ground, now.

"Burning Manda...AUGH!"

*.*.*

Sailor Mars fell backwards gracelessly and didn't make an effort to move as Tetsuya ran back towards them while Lila was gimping to the other side of Foot Town where a police car's flashing lights were beckoning her on. It was three on one, still. They could take him out if they all worked together!

"Grab someone and pull them out of the way," Sailor Moon hollered at Sailor Jupiter and Tetsuya as she grabbed Sailor Mars. "We'll jump you up to the tower with us, Journeyman. We're losing the battle down here and need to get on even footing."

"You can jump 150 meters in the air," he asked.

"Not quite. We'll have to get a boost from the roof of Foot Town first." They hurriedly carried their three downed comrades to safety while dodging the enemy's attacks. Sailor Mercury was starting to come to, but Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars were out cold. "How did you shrug off that blast?"

"Magical conditioning. It gives me a bit of a resistance to magical energy attacks. Now, help me kill Jorvist."

"So that's the animal's name..." she and Sailor Jupiter both put a hand around his waist as he noticed that Sailor Jupiter had Sailor Venus's whip coiled around her.

"Sailor Leap!" They hopped up to the roof of Foot Town. "SAILOR LEAP!" They hurled up through the air again, crashing through the glass and onto the black marble floor of the observation deck. Jorvist turned to face them.

"I see you got my present," he said to Sailor Moon.

She had a bundle of cloth tucked into her skirt. "You disgusting creature."

"What present," Tetsuya asked.

"He wrapped Omi's glasses in her shirt and tied it to Lila."

"Of course he did..." Tetsuya looked at the young man with curly, matted black hair. He wore an Earth-style trench coat, tennis shoes and blue jeans. _So you've remained on-planet._ Through the use of Emulators and powerful magic, Scouts and Elite could learn an entire language in minutes. It would have been so easy for someone like Jorvist to infiltrate into the populous of Tokyo unnoticed. He wondered if someone else had died while he had acquired his new wardrobe. He also wondered how long he'd been on Earth. Had he come with Vendeusi?

"You don't like my little touch," he asked as he materialized a silver short sword with a demon's snarling face on the cross guard with two ruby eyes. "Well, I don't like you messing with my fun. I was going to let Lila die instantaneously. Now, she will suffer for days after I kill you, Sailor Moon."

"Moon Tiara Dagger Action!" Sailor Mon grabbed her tiara as it began to glow. "I am the champion of love and justice, defender of innocence and beauty, and on this day, I will avenge the death of Omi Midori. This I swear in the name of the moon, the ones who died at the hands of Vendeusi, and the survivors who are left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives!"

"Down to business, I see. Are you sure you don't want to hear how the pink one died? It's a rather captivating story."

"You cut her throat."

"Oh, but there's a _story_ to it." He spun his sword around absentmindedly as he paced. "You see, I like to play with the...rabbits, is that the word? Yes. Rabbits. I like to play with the ones I catch. They usually beg and plead and cry and mess themselves. It amuses me. But little Omi, she just didn't seem to understand her situation. I would ask her a question after each little cut, and she'd simply reply that you, Sailor Moon, would save her. She would gasp and hiss and whimper as I cut her, of course. It really hurts if you wait long enough between cuts. Otherwise, shock might set in and numb the victim to the next cut. But she would keep looking me in the eyes and tell me that Sailor Moon would rescue her."

"Stop it..."

"This went on for awhile. It really upset me. I was getting impatient waiting for her to break. I wasn't paying attention. I cut too deep, and once again she said that you would rescue her. I noticed too late that she was slowly bleeding out. That artery on the inner leg is a real doosey. But moving on, I put my blade up to her throat. I wanted to hear her beg for her life. I told her she was about to die and asked her what her last words would be. She said 'Sailor Moon will avenge me.' I lost my temper at that point. One angry slice later and she was gone. I had even forgotten to carve my little message to your masked friend there before I killed her. What a disappointment. It's a good thing this crap hole planet at least invented the Polaroid camera. Instant memories!"

"Shut up and fight us," Sailor Jupiter growled, twirling the whip.

"You are no fun, you know that? Oh, be careful with those glasses. I'm pretty sure a girl named Usagi Tsukino would like to have them. The two were apparently friends. I have plans for her, that Usagi girl. As a matter of fact, I have plans for all of..."

"NOOO!" Tetsuya charged at Jorvist and was quickly floored by several energy blasts as darkness took over his senses.

*.*.*

"Supreme Thunder Charge!" Makoto electrified Minako's whip and quickly spun the end around, creating an electric field that deflected Jorvist's blasts. "Let's go!"

Usagi fell in behind Makoto as she charged towards Jorvist. He charged and threw his sword at the whip, getting it coiled and breaking up the electric field. Makoto tried to strike with the whip but the sword threw off the timing and Jorvist slid underneath it, skidded towards Makoto and scything his legs between hers, knocking her to the ground. He rolled to his feet and shot a blast at Usagi. She deflected it with her makeshift Tiara blade and ducked and dodged his kicks and punches, half-stepping and hopping away from him as he tried to lunge at her.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

_Mako_-chan,_ no!_ Usagi dove for cover as Jorvist dodged the attack. She was hit by a blast of electricity as the attack shot out small bolts of lighting after impacting into the floor. She was unable to move for an instant, but Jorvist had switched his attention back to Makoto.

She had finally untangled the sword from Minako's whip and slashed it at Jorvist. He let it wrap around his arm and yanked Makoto in towards him. She regained her footing and yanked back. Jorvist fell the floor and she spun, swinging him around, then up in an arc and into the hard floor. He cried out in pain.

"Supreme Thunder!"

_You idiot!_

Jorvist spasmed and convulsed from the electricity, but so did Makoto. She dropped the whip and fell to her knees. Usagi had recovered from her own little shock in the few precious seconds the two were fighting, but as she leapt to her feet, Jorvist rolled towards Makoto and wrapped the whip around her neck. "You don't have much luck with this whip, do you," he taunted as he choked her and slammed her face into the floor repeatedly until Usagi tackled him.

Rather than slamming to the ground on top of him, she was flung off and after a quick impact with the floor, she sprang back onto her feet just in time to see Jorvist connect a blow to her cheek. She saw stars and stumbled back. "Moon..."

Her feet were swept out from under her and she rolled the instant she hit the ground, dodging a foot stomp. "...Princess..." She hopped up and put her arms up to block the next blow. She felt a sharp pain in her forearm as it took the blunt of a roundhouse, but she was still knocked to her knees.

"...Halation!" Jorvist was knocked backwards several meters and Usagi got up and ran for her tiara, scooping it up and spinning to face her opponent. "Moon Tiara Dagger Action!"

"Hands of Hell!" Jorvists hands erupted in flame.

"I guess it fits your motif. We'll be sure to cremate you and flush the ashes down a toilet!"

"You got fight in you." He slowly licked his chapped lips. "I like that."

_Keep talking, you arrogant prick. Sailor Senshi don't stay down for long!_ "You've awakened a sleeping giant inside of me with your disgraceful actions. Your savagery upon the innocent only stokes the fires of my resolve. You have ripped off the wings of this butterfly and unleashed the wrath of a moon goddess!"

He opened his fiery hand and his sword flew into his waiting palm. "That really gets me going. Ohhh, if only you had wings for me to slowly pull off."

Usagi kept her gaze on Jorvist as the two circled each other, and she took note that neither Journeyman nor Makoto were moving other than the slight rising and falling of their chests. She was alone, and it was all up to her to put an end to Jorvist's madness. She focused on her memories with Omi from the moment when she was first laughing at her for being late to when she was walking towards the stairs with Kenji Yamato, both having one hand firmly planted on the other's rear, the last time she ever saw her. The icy rain of sadness gave way to the fires of hatred as she felt something burning inside of her very soul. In spite of everything that she had ever said, ever done, ever meant, she smiled at Jorvist as a new sensation overcame her. "I'm going to kill you, now."

Before he could make another one of his sick remarks, Usagi charged him and cried a sheer battle cry, screaming at the top of her lungs. Well, almost at the top of her lungs. She had never been able to scream on command at a volume and pitch needed to make her odango covers amplify her screams. Although she had failed to launch a Supersonic Waves attack, Jorvist took her seriously, taking a defensive stance as she closed in.

"KIYA!" Usagi slashed across, crashing her glowing tiara into his sword with a deafening clang. Her heart raced and she felt a primal hunger inside of her as she shrugged off his reply of stomping the heel of his boot into her shin.

_It's just pain..._

Everything seemed different to her as she and Jorvist dueled, trading blade attacks, kicks and punches. Jorvist's attacks left small burns and singes, but Usagi shrugged them off somehow. She had never really stood her ground in a one on one brawl before, but something felt almost instinctual. An eerie calm settled in her as she pressed her next offensive. It was time to end it. It was time to feel the splash of his warm blood on her skin. It was time to avenge the fallen and enforce a universal justice of right and wrong. It was time for her to kill Jorvist, and unlike Vendeusi...

"This time I'll mean to do it," she growled as she wiped away a small trickle of blood from her cheek, and with only the sound of boots crunching shards of broken glass, she silently charged in to give the killing blow. She intentionally created an opening by raising her tiara over her head for a downward strike and Jorvist played right into her trap.

He stabbed his sword at her and she arced her body back, the blade shooting just above her. She grabbed at his wrist with her free hand and yanked him in, slamming her forehead into his face. Jorvist cried out in pain as he hopped up, planted both legs against her chest and pushed off. Usagi rolled back and up and was hit square in the chest by an energy blast. Then another. And then a third one brought her down to one knee. Everything went blurry as she felt a burning hand grab her wrist and pin it to the ground. She felt her other hand pinned under the weight of his body, probably one of his knees.

"I don't know how you're still awake," he said with pain in his voice. "But I've gotten bored with you. I'll savor your friends later, but you die now." He lifted his blade, but the killing blow never came as a blue blur slammed into him.

*.*.*

Ami was thrown off of Jorvist midair but landed on her feet and faced him. His landing had been a bit less graceful. "C'mon..." she taunted, raising her clenched fists in a fighting stance. It was not the way she preferred to fight, the only Senshi standing on an observation deck with shards of glass all over the floor in a one on one fist fight. But standing off to the side shooting paralyzing bubbles and searching for advantages with a computer weren't a viable option at the moment, and she doubted the device would find any specific weaknesses. She had understood Usagi's reluctance to fight and sympathized with her once again being forced into the fray against her will.

But she and Rei had also shared nervous glances when Usagi had seemed to become someone else as the battle was beginning. She understood that Minako was the most experienced having been Sailor V back in England, and Makoto was naturally aggressive and preferred straight forward force. Naturally, they would like the change in Usagi. And while Rei herself had shown that she could unleash the fires of hell both on and off the battlefield, they both knew that the Usagi who leapt to the observation deck of Tokyo Tower was not the Usagi who had risked her life to save Galaxia from Chaos rather than strike her down once and for all when given the chance.

Was the change permanent? Had Omi's death set something off in Usagi? Had the shine of the moon been hurt so badly that its heart would never heal, never regaining its full luster again? Had the Usagi Tsukino that Ami had known for four years also died that morning? Then again, if Ami didn't keep this creep busy long enough for Usagi to shake off her dizziness, they'd both be completely dead and the point would be beyond moot. She could lose sleep over who her best friend was becoming later.

"More bubbles," Jorvist said with a laugh as he brandished his sword. "Perhaps the blood will bubble out of your pierced lungs."

"Only one way to find out." Ami held her ground as he charged her. He raised his sword for a killing strike and Ami performed a forewords back flip, avoiding the blow and slamming her foot up into his chin, knocking him back. She finished her flip and sank to a kneeling position and spun in a fluid movement, kicking one of his feet out, but he stayed up. Using her momentum, she swung her leg around again, hitting the other leg and toppling her opponent. She pounced on his sword arm, wrapped her legs around it, landed on her back and pulled towards her chest.

_SNAP!_ "AAAAUUUUGGGHHH!"

Ami rolled off and bumped into Usagi, who was back on her feet. "Wow..."

"Whatever it takes," she replied. Jorvist stubbornly stumbled to his feet, his sword arm bent at an unnatural angle at the elbow. He was somehow still holding onto his sword. "Let's finish this!"

"With _pleasure!_ Moon..."

"Shabbon..."

"Tiara..."

"Spray..."

"Action!"

"Freezing!"

The golden glow of the tiara as a discus flew through a freezing spray, turning it an icy blue as it slammed into Jorvist. They both heard the ribs crack from the impact as he was thrown screaming through another formerly unbroken window as it shattered loudly. Usagi and Ami ran to the edge to see him falling to the ground. But instead of the sickening sight of a body hitting the pavement, they saw Jorvist enveloped in a bright flash of light. Then, he was gone.

"What... happened..." Usagi looked at Ami with a wild look in her eyes.

"I don't know..."

"What happened?!" Usagi grabbed Ami by her bow and yanked her in, touching foreheads.

"This isn't you," she pleaded.

"Sailor Moon," Makoto rasped, slowly pushing herself up and grabbing her throat.

"What's going on," Rei asked as she and Minako leapt up onto the observation deck. "Where is he?"

"That's right," Usagi snarled at Ami. "Where is he? You're the smart one, so tell me. What the hell just happened?!"

"Jorvist..." Journeyman growled. He was moving, but in no particular way that was helping him get to his feet. "What's going on? Is he dead?"

Usagi shoved Ami to the floor and stalked towards Journeyman.

_Usagi-_chan_, what's happening to you?_ "Sailor Moon, please," she pleaded.

"What happened," Usagi demanded of Journeyman, who was still lying on his back.

"I didn't... see. Tell me."

"He was falling and then a bright light surrounded him and he vanished."

"Those cowards... he was teleported back to one of the ships in orbit."

"He... got away? HE GOT AWAY?!" Usagi fell to her knees and began sobbing softly. "No..."

"Usa...Sailor Moon," Rei said, walking up to her. "Please, we..." she put her hand on Usagi's shoulder but was slapped away.

"Don't touch me, you weakling! You were worthless! Maybe if you had paid more attention to what was going on around you, you would have been up here with us and he wouldn't have gotten away!" She shot up and strode to the edge, looking up at the sky. "If it's a war you monsters want, then it's a war you'll get! You send us soldiers, and we will send back bodies!" She took in a deep breath, wiped away the falling tears, and screamed. The other Senshi put their hands over their ears as her fierce cry turned into Supersonic Waves, shattering the remaining glass windows of the observation deck's lower floor.

"This isn't you," Ami said softly.

"I kinda like the new her," Minako said. Makoto merely nodded.

"I couldn't disagree more with..." Rei started.

"Stow it," Jorneyman interjected, slowly rising to his feet. "Now is not the time to fight amongst each other."

"What do we do now," Usagi asked.

"We wait."

"For what?"

"He wants Usagi Tsukino for some reason. Do you know her?"

"We've...met. You?"

"I can't say."

"Or you won't," Minako shot.

"Yeah," Makoto grumbled, probably more because of having been strangled by a chain whip and annoyance, "exactly who's under the mask?"

"You haven't exactly given us your number."

"Back off," Rei said. "If it weren't for him, I would've been Klijargan kabob."

"He _also_ didn't seem to do that much at this outing."

"Excuse me, but you were down before me. You're not exactly in the running for MVP!"

"Come on, now," Ami pleaded. "We're all a little upset about this, but we gotta keep our cool."

"I say we take off that mask," Makoto retorted, still clearing her throat from time to time. "What do you say, Sailor Moon?"

All eyes were upon her. She was on her knees, absent-mindedly staring at her tiara. "I... I'm not sure of anything right now. I think we should leave."

"What about his next target?"

"I'll keep an eye on Usagi," Journeyman said. "She is connected to Omi Midori. I will find that connection and I will find her, and I will protect her. I give you my word on this. If Jorvist has captured Usagi Tsukino, then don't expect me to show, because I'll already be dead."

"Thank you," Usagi said softly to him.

Ami knew that she was probably calming down after the rush of battle and was wearing thin. It was looking like the old Usagi was coming back to them, thank the heavens. "You need a lift, Journeyman?"

"Thank you, Sailor Mercury," he replied with a bow. "But I think I'll take the stairs. Tell the ones you care about that you love them when you get the chance and don't walk away angry. Every parting phrase and action may be the last. I don't know what's going on, but Jorvist will wait to make his move on Tsukino. Until then, he will bide his time. Until we meet again."

Journeyman turned away and darted off to the stairs.

"We'd better do the same," Ami said to the group.

*.*.*

Ever since her painful post-Sailor Teleport landing on the asteroid a few years back, Usagi had learned how to properly land and even guide the group teleport to the point where they could practically land on bubble wrap without making a sound. They were once again in Usagi's room and they quietly powered down. Rei, Minako and Makoto lazily fell backwards on Usagi's bed with a unified 'ow' while Ami slumped into the chair at her desk. Usagi somehow managed to stay on her feet as she leaned against the wall. She took her transformation brooch and stared at it.

"Oh, God..." she whimpered. "What's happening to me?"

"Usagi-_chan_?" Rei winced as she painfully sat up. "_Itaitaitai_..."

"I wanted to kill him. I _wanted_ to do it. The second I saw his eyes, I..."

Makoto sat up more easily than Minako as her injuries were to her throat and head. Due to the magic of the henshin, none of their injuries were visible. Her voice was still a tad bit scratchy. "I know how you feel, Usagi-_chan_. It's okay to feel that way. I'm actually looking forward having another shot at the bastard!"

"Me too," Minako said. "He won't get away next time!"

Usagi looked at her transformation brooch again. "This stands for something. It means something more than simply murdering in the name of revenge."

"What are you saying?"

"If Galaxia was worthy of redemption after all the people she killed, then Jorvist deserves the same chance."

"You can't be serious."

"You're..." Rei stammered. "You... but..."

"Usagi-_chan_," Ami said softly. "I'm glad you're back with us and not swept up in a state of bloodlust. But I was classmates with Ayako for a year. I got to know her and Omi and I had hoped for the four of us to become better friends one day. How would saving that animal's life honor her memory?"

"That's how I fight. Nothing is ever gained from fighting, so I fight to hold on to what's dear to me and try to end the fight before too much is lost on either side. The protection of Earth must always come first. If we end up killing him in battle, then it can't be helped. But if we can turn him back to the light..." she looked at her brooch one last time before tucking it into her purse. "We have a duty as Senshi to do what is right and just, even if our hearts cry that we do the opposite."

"Fine," Makoto huffed after a moment of stunned silence as she slowly rose to her feet. "You get to deliver the news to the Midori family if it comes to that." Without another word, Makoto left. After a quick glance back, Minako followed.

"Fair enough," Usagi whispered. "I'm... going home now. Oh, wait. I'm already here. Can I... can we just... I just want to be by... " The words never came as she started to sob again. Rei and Ami hugged her from the sides as she sank to the floor.

*.*.*

_He's fixated on her._ Tetsuya knew that Jorvist would want to keep Usagi alive and play his sick and twisted games with her, and it was up to him to help Sailor Moon protect her when he finally made his move. The knowledge that Usagi and Sailor Moon were the same person, or the fact that Tetsuya had ever even known who the Senshi were, was forced so back in his subconscious that not even a fleeting thought about it emerged. He had no idea who the Senshi were, he never had any idea who they were, and that was that. Memory spells could be a real bitch sometimes...

_I know the others will be here, too. I hope they're not too angry with me. _"_Go... gomen Ku._.." Tetsuya was knocked back when the door swung open. Makoto and Minako both had surprised expressions on their faces. "Oh. Um. Hello. You two. Guys. Girls." _Real smooth, turd brain..._

"Hey," Minako said softly. "I'm really sorry about what I said. That was pretty dumb of me."

Tetsuya frowned. "C'mon. I'm the idiot who went off."

"It's been a lousy day for everyone so far," Makoto said. "I almost knocked you out flinging the door open. We saw it on TV. Apparently the Senshi were fighting someone at Tokyo Tower. He had Omi's glasses. He's the one, and he escaped somehow. It's... hard for all of us knowing he's still out there when they were so close."

"Usagi was asking for you," Minako added. "We're heading out. Why don't you go in and say hello to her. Ami and Rei are there. Hey!" Minako guided his gaze to hers when he started looking down. "Ami's one cool cat. She won't hold a grudge for this morning, okay?"

"I'm really lucky to have met you all."

"Right back at you," Makoto said as she snuck in a kiss. "I'll see you... when I see you. I love you."

"I love you, too." _Well, that went surprisingly well._ As Makoto and Minako walked down the street, Tetsuya cleared his throat for a second try. "_Gomen ku... konnichiwa_," he bowed as a woman who looked like she was definitely related to Usagi answered the door before he finished saying '_gomen kudasai_.'

She smiled at him, although the sorrow was apparent on her face. "You must be the guy who knocked up my little girl."

"Uh..."

She held out the piece of paper where Usagi had successfully displayed knowledge of vectors nearly two weeks earlier. "We tease her every now and then."

"Yeah..."

"Tetsuya Journey, I presume. Please come in. She and a couple of her friends are upstairs. Second door on the right."

"_Domo arigato_."

"Usagi-_chan_, your baby daddy's here."

"...huh?"

"Tetsuya-_kun_," Usagi asked from upstairs.

"Hey, Usagi-_chan_."

"C'mon up!"

Tetsuya bowed to Mrs. Tsukino and bounded up the stairs. She sounded rather cheery. Maybe it wasn't all doom and gloom after all. That thought was cast to the wind when he saw her. Her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed. "Hey..."

"Hey. Sorry about my mom."

Ami smiled at him. "Don't worry about lunch, okay? We all understand."

"Thanks."

"Hello again," Rei said with a bow.

"Hello, Rei."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Rei?"

"Hino-_san. Gomen_."

She shook her head. "Getting colder."

"..._chan_?"

"All together, now."

"Rei-_chan_."

"And welcome to our group of misfits," Usagi said.

Tetsuya thought back to his pledge to the Senshi. _If Jorvist has captured Usagi Tsukino, then don't expect me to show, because I'll already be dead._ The sicko would be at a self-imposed disadvantage as he wanted to keep Usagi and Tetsuya alive just to torment them. It also likely put a two-sided protection on Makoto. _I can't lose. I _won't _lose. You're marrying Mamoru Chiba and having his children. This is _not_ negotiable!_ He had survived enough tragedies for several lifetimes and felt coldly at ease with the thought of dying before living in a world without the shine of Usagi Tsukino or Makoto Kino. Usagi was tapping him on the forehead.

"Welcome back," she said. "You do a great impression of Ami-_chan_."

"Hey..." Ami pouted.

They talked, they joked, they laughed, they occasionally wiped their eyes. They chatted about TV shows, music, video games, food and even kicked Ami out of the room to talk about her birthday party. Despite the overwhelming shadow of despair and pain, life trudged on.

*.*.*

"What the hell happened to you?" Jhanna Melvi asked a limping, scalded Jorvist. She wore loose shorts, athletic shoes and the Earth's equivalent of a sports bra. She wore her short hair in a simple ponytail that barely fell past her shoulders. "You look like you got thrown out of a window."

She was smiling at him and Jorvist glowered back. "The _Val'kuries_ are stronger than I am, but I have a plan to kill them all one by one."

Melvi raised her auburn eyebrows. "Are you going to strip them down and throw them off of a tower after you torture them? Would they really cooperate with you? They seemed rather intent on putting up a fight."

Jorvist smiled. "If you weren't a superior fighter and a fellow believer of Goddess, I would have killed you long ago."

Melvi crossed her arms across her chest, showing a look of defiance. "Unlike those poor schoolgirls you attacked, I would have resisted tooth and nail, and _fist_. If you weren't an alleged believer of Goddess, I would have dumped your broken corpse into the vacuum of space when I first discovered your sadist practices. Now if you would excuse me, I have a training session with Lieutenant Cloik."

"Still haven't shagged your lover?"

Melvi grabbed Jorvist by the throat. "When he and I are ready to have children, we will initiate a physical relationship. Remember that he is now your superior officer, fellow Initiate." She then let go of Jorvist, and walked away.

"I'm starting to get used to seeing your backside."

"Go screw yourself," Melvi resounded as she walked around the corner.

"Little bitch." Jorvist limped through the corridors of the Goddess Sword, the flagship of the Klijargan Military, towards the office of Warlord Vlarokh. He gave menacing looks to any crew member who looked at him funny for wearing the clothes of Earth or for his physical state, and he forced himself to straighten up and salute any superior officers who walked by. The officers gave him odd stares before returning the salutes, but Jorvist had to put up with them. He was relieved to finally make it to Vlarokh's office, but as he rose his hand to knock on the thin metallic door, a deep bass voice sounded from inside.

"You should be in a recovery solution, Initiate. Enter."

Jorvist entered the room, and gave a sharp salute. "Sir, the _Val'kuries_ are stronger than I am, but they are no threat to us. The Holy World will be ours shortly. I have a plan to kill all of them one by one."

"You only need to kill _one_ of them to consecrate the world as ours."

He smiled.

"You disgust me, but very well. Before you attack the _Val'Kureis_ again, I ask that you recover Scout Igrosh Vendeusi's body." The Warlord put up a hand to keep the young warrior from objecting. His eyes were unseeing, having never developed because of a birth defect. His forehead went from the top of his brow all the way to where his nose began, but he saw with his ears and his sixth sense, humming to listen to the sound waves reflecting back and magic to tell him which part of the light spectrum was resonating. This gave him access to ultraviolet and infrared as well.

His hair was thin and wavy, falling loosely to his shouders. He was a dwarf, but only when compared to the other Vlarokhs, a race of giants from a remote region of the Klijargand homeworld. His height went to five feet and seven inches and he had incredible physical strength. However, what separated him from the high ranking Generals and Warlords was his energy attacks. The sheer power was rumored to be strong enough to destroy an entire planet. "I request this of you because you too were a Scout, but you found your way into the ranks of the Elite with hard work and natural magical talent. And since we have no Scouts on board, it would be fitting him that you returned his body. And although I utterly despise your practices and hope you die at the hands of the _Val'Kureis_, I wish you luck, regardless. Dismissed."

"Thank you, sir." He smiled again. There was more than one way to snare a rabbit, and he would have her. He was going to catch Usagi Tsukino, one way or another...


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

_The Hawk and the Hare_

_I will find you, little rabbit._ Jorvist meant Hawk in the language of his forsaken people. His world had hawks and hares. While Jorvist hadn't been his birth name, he preferred it as he thought of himself as a hawk, something that hunted cute little furry creatures. And the hawks on his home world would hunt not just when they were hungry, but also for sport.

His birth name literally meant forsaken child, and he was treated that way by everyone in his village, including his own mother. According to his backwater people, a cleft lip was a sign that the gods hated you, but it was up to them to decide when you died, not any vigilante mortals. So he was allowed to live, but they made sure his life was hell. He absentmindedly touched the surgically repaired lip. While the evidence that it was once a cleft lip was no longer visible, it got chapped easily as a side effect of the operation the Klijargans performed after adopting him.

One time as a child while running away after yet another molestation by his uncle that went unchallenged by his uncaring mother, he had stumbled on a nest of bunnies. They didn't try to run, but became very, very still. There had been three of them. He grabbed one and the other two stayed very, very still. He killed it and did the same with the second. He noticed that the third, which remained very, very still, had yellow tips on its ears. To that day as he floated in a vat of recovery solution, he still regretted not having taken an ear as a trophy.

He then remembered the day the Klijargans invaded several years later. The Cleansers were massacring the people, and while hiding, he saw a group of women and girls as they were discovered. They remained very, very still, just like the rabbits had. Then they were slaughtered, except for the one woman that ran away. Her hair was the same color as the tips of the third rabbits' ears. Jorvist knew he was going to die, but not without getting a real kill. The woman ran past him and he pounced on her and strangled her, just waiting for the bright lights that killed the others to take him as well. It never came and eventually, his victim stopped twitching. He looked over and saw two invaders staring at him oddly. He smiled at them and cut a lock of her hair, his first trophy.

Rather than killing him, they adopted him into the faith. He was only sixteen at the time and showed a great talent for magic. He was quickly christened into the order and given the task of killing his mother and uncle as his initiation. He laughed and laughed and laughed as they cried and screamed and begged for mercy and got what had been coming to them for the crimes committed upon a helpless, unloved child. From that moment on, he was Jorvist. No family name as he had no family. Just Jorvist, merciless hunter of the weak, just as his village had taught him. The strong prey on the weak! He never looked back and had absolutely no intention of looking back.

Over the years, his trophy collection had grown, kept safe by the magical powers of a Scout. Along with his old and unused suit, he had absorbed his sword and every trophy into him, kept whole through magic yet separated and dispersed across his body at the atomic level through stolen Hyuitian technology. His trophies were safe, and as long as he was alive, his trophies would remain safe!

_I've snared many rabbits and taken little trophies, but yours, Usagi Tsukino, will be the crowning achievement of my collection. I will find you, my little hare, and the hawk will trap you in his snare. Then the hare will give me a piece of her golden hair. And then when I grow bored with you, your misery will finally come to an end._

"How ya doin'?" Jorvist opened his eyes and saw Lieutenant Heggith Cloik looking in at him. His dark hair was combed back and fell past his shoulders. He was on the tall side by Klijargan standards, even though he had been adopted into the faith by the Evangelist sect when his home planet of Cahrdeya peacefully surrendered. His fiancé, Jihanna Melvi, was also a Cahrdeyan. "I hear you got messed up by those _Val'kureis_. How someone like you made it to the ranks of the Royal Guard, I'll never know."

"Shove it, Cloik." Jorvist was floating in a square vat of healing solution and his voice was transmitted through a tiny microphone in the breathing mask he was wearing. His rivals liked to pick on him when he was in that state as he was often injured in battle but fought through it rather than squirming away. Many of his tormentors never returned from their next mission with him...

"Be nice," a feminine voice said. "When you're immobile in a healing solution, it's wise not to piss off your superior."

"What are you doing in here?! _Girls_ aren't allowed in this area!"

Melvi grimaced at the comment directed at her. "Ouch. Looks like you don't like a _girl_ looking at you naked, huh? I wonder how that poor girl felt before you slit her throat. Well, I won't slit yours, although it is amusing to see you really aren't much of a man under those alien clothes."

"So, you've seen Cloik and are able to compare?"

Melvi glared at Jorvist, but Cloik started laughing. "Don't take this animal too seriously, Jihanna."

"Alright, Heggith." Melvi looked at Jorvist's nakedness in disgust and saw his resentment. "Let's go. We have to be ready when he dies."

"The only ones dying will be the _Val'kureis_!" Jorvist swore to get revenge on Melvi, but that would happen after he defeated the _Val'kureis_. He knew his plan would succeed. He would give the weakling Igrosh the burial he supposedly deserved, but only _after_ he killed Sailor Moon and captured Pethospoe. He smiled at that thought. Once Sailor Moon was dead, he would become a hero, and it would be so easy to arrange the death of Jihanna Melvi.

*.*.*

Minako and Makoto stopped at the hospital where Lila had been taken as Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus. She had almost nothing useful to say, but they were grateful that she had survived her fall with only whiplash and a dislocated shoulder. Other than a few bruises and emotional shock and trauma, she was mostly intact.

The pair validated their identifications with a light show in the parking lot and instructed the police not to interfere. After a few years of crazy stuff happening in Tokyo and the rescuers being a pack of teenage magical girls, the Japanese government had no delusions of grandeur about its abilities and let the real professionals handle things.

Juuban High released its students early, cancelled all classes and activities for the rest of the day and all of Tuesday and imposed a strict group escort and chaperone policy for the girls. The ward of Juuban enacted this for all of its citizens, adding a strict curfew policy for girls still enrolled in school. Volunteers patrolled the streets during the day and night. Monday rolled into Tuesday, and after the curfew came to an end with the rising of the sun, the exhausted girls met up at Rei's.

The intention had been to discuss their previous encounter with Jorvist and devise ways to defeat him, but all they ended up doing was making amends for their rude remarks the day before and sleeping. Being away from Usagi had taken a toll on the other girls and they spent their down time eyeballing their communicators, going into light naps with any and every noise, even their own snoring, jolting them awake and ready to do battle.

Usagi had been in the same state, knowing that she was putting the lives of her family at risk just by being in their vicinity. She didn't even try to sleep. As soon as her friends left her, she locked her door and silently transformed into Sailor Moon. If Jorvist came looking for her, he'd find her, but he'd be in for a surprise. She had meant every word about trying to turn him to the light, but if he was in her house, she would kill him. No lost soul, no matter how unbearable of a sob story they had, was worth putting her family at risk to save.

In that lonely night, she realized that her selfless actions against Galaxia were also utterly selfish. Had she failed,  
had Galaxia struck her down, Earth and the entire galaxy would have been at her mercy. But what was she supposed to do? She was damned if she did, and not worth a damn if she didn't. That was the conundrum if you fought. No one won in a fight, you just had the side that lost less than the other. She had to wonder which side would lose less, and what would both sides lose in this next meaningless battle?

A few phone calls and apologies for losing track of the time and the girls stayed the night at the Shrine. Thanks to two meddling felines, Ami, Rei and Usagi didn't get any guff from their parents who even suggested packing a bag and staying over for the rest of the week until Ami's birthday party.

Tuesday trudged into Wednesday and the girls returned to school again, refreshed from a nice nap followed by a good night's sleep. Tetsuya was there and very happy to see them all. He looked even worse than Usagi had when she showed up at Rei's on Tuesday morning. They all invited him to Rei's and assured him that she wouldn't mind. Usagi broke down when she saw Omi's memorial. Among the montage of photos were her the two photo machine pictures in their own frame and in mint condition. Omi had kept them safe and preserved.

Omi Midori had touched the lives of many of her fellow classmates, but she never actually made any friends. She and Ayako were very close and had an exclusive, almost jealous bond between sisters that they didn't want to share with outsiders, although they would be social if the opportunity forced itself, like the dance or when Omi and Usagi ran into each other at the photo machine. There were countless balloons and flowers and letters offering prayers in her memory. Usagi wasn't the only one who cried at the memorial. Kenji, Lila and Ayako did not show up at school that day.

Tetsuya was asked to go home and pack a bag as he was staying the night Shrine, no room for negotiaion! Mamoru was also overnighting with them. After a quick interrogation by an overly zealous Yuuichirou, Tetsuya was admitted entry to the Hikawa Shrine. A light seemed to shine in his eyes through the cloud of fatigue, as if he had found something he had been searching for. The girls slept in the study room while Mamoru and Tetsuya 'kept watch' in the empty guest room that Rei's father had never stayed at. Although he seemed slightly annoyed by Tetsuya's presence at first, he had taken a liking to him after he learned about his concern for Usagi's safety. The liking faded after he learned about the knocked up comment and the two went to sleep with a terse _oyasumi_ and an awkward silence.

Thursday was a little easier, but Usagi still had to wipe away the tears as she passed Omi's memorial and sit next to an empty desk. Lila, Kenji and Ayako were absent again. Class was class, lunch was lunch, and Tetsuya did not go to the Shrine. It was probably for the best as Mamoru seemed to have grown jealous of any potential rivals after the incident with Seiya from a couple years back, even though nothing happened because of Usagi's faith and loyalty to him. Mamoru was only human, after all, and his behavior was excused.

Tetsuya managed to sleep a little better Thursday night while the girls slept like angels on beds of cloud. Friday showed its face and things were a little easier one day at a time. Kenji was back, carrying Lila's books as she was unable to wear a backpack due to the neck brace and her left arm was in a sling. She still had bruising on her face and arms, although those weren't visible because of the uniform's long sleeves. She was understandably jittery, but determined to carry on with her life to spite the efforts of the monster who had taken Omi away. Kenji was distant and unresponsive to efforts to speak to him. Ayako and her family had moved to Azumino in Nagano prefecture after burying Omi.

Rei stayed home on Friday. She had a fever, then became ill, unable to keep food or water in her, and went back to sleep. For those not attending T.A. Academy for Girls, school came to a close and after the delays of having to clean, the girls met up with Tetsuya and headed to Ami's for her party after showing the appropriate strength in numbers to be out and about. However, Chiba prefecture had no such restrictions in place.

*.*.*

It was perfect, absolutely perfect! How had he not seen it before? It was so blatantly obvious, but he had been impatient and rash, and then he was actually in the area of their enchantments. But after several days in high orbit away from their magic, he had found her secret. He had found all of their secrets! He wondered if the traitor had figured it out as well. He hoped so. It would make his victory so much better if Pethospoe knew that Usagi Tsukino was Sailor Moon.

This put a slight delay in his plans, but also allowed a new opportunity. While Usagi's other friend, Ami Mizuno was Sailor Mercury and would be too much trouble to try and capture and use as bait, she had another friend in an area of the country that wasn't under lockdown and escort for young girls and teenagers.

Naru Osaka, the cute little redhead. Jorvist had been at the dance the whole time, unseen in plain site. He had almost gone for her first, but the allure of a grieving older sister had been too much to resist, and he chose Omi instead. But as the hands of fate had it, Naru's stay of execution had just been revoked, and she would be the best choice for baiting the Senshi into battle again. But he would have to act quickly, as his target seemed to be on the move again.

*.*.*

"That is a rediculous hair style, Initiate Melvi," Warlord Vlarokh said through the doors to his office as she raised her hand to knock. She opened the door and did a quick salute. "I did not give you permission to enter."

"You're just going to sit there and let him go though with this?!" She had one side of her hair up in a ball and the other side in a pig tail, the way Omi had worn her hair when she died and the way she normally wore it on Mondays. "Is this how we wish to start our utopia on the Promised World?"

"Do not do anything foolish. You and Lieutenant Cloik cannot start a family if you are ejected into space for murdering a fellow Initiate."

"This is unacceptable."

"Our hands are tied. It is the will of the Emperor that Evangelists and Neutralists do not interfere in the affairs of the Cleansers."

"You have the power to do something. You lead this expedition."

"The Emperor himself is also a part of this expedition and his orders were made clear that our factions cooperate and not try to force each other's views upon one another."

"Then you are just as responsible for the death of his next victim as he is!" Without so much as a salute, she whirled around and left.

*.*.*

"_Happi Batsudei, tuu yuu. Happi Batsudei, tuu yuu. Happi Batsudei, deya Ami-_chan_, Happi Batsudei, tuu yuu._"

"_Domo arigato gozaimasu_," she replied with a bow.

"And we can do it for real when Umino and Naru-_chan_ finally show up," Usagi said. "Why did she have to miss her train? I wanna see the presents!"

"But we have to wait until all the guests arrive."

"But it's _your_ party, so you should be able to do what _you_ wanna do."

Ami pursed her lips in thought for a moment. "Okay, fair enough. It's my party, and I'll do whatever _I_ want to do."

"That's the spirit!"

"And I want to wait for all of the guests to arrive first."

There was a collective sigh from the group. "Party pooper," Minako huffed.

"What about your mom and Rei-_chan_," Makoto asked.

"They are no longer expected to be here due to circumstances beyond their control. My mother is trying to save someone's life and will probably succeed, and I hope Rei is feeling better and didn't share whatever she came down with with any of us."

"Amen to that," Usagi said warily. "I know misery is a social disease or something like that, but I don't want to share that kind of misery. Phooey! I wish my Mamo-_chan_ didn't have to work over in Chiba this weekend. It would've been perfect for him to come with Naru-_chan_."

The phone rang and Ami dashed into the kitchen. "_Hai, moshi moshi!_"

"Ami! It's Umino. Has my little Naru-_chan_ called?"

"No. What's up?"

"The second train arrived and she's not on it, either. I called her mother and she said that she left early."

"She... probably just got sidetracked."

"Well, I'll give you guys a call if she's not on the next one."

"_Hai!_ I'll see you both when you get here!"

"Hey, party girl," Usagi said smiling. The smile faded and she shut the door. "Ami-_chan_, what is it?"

*.*.*

_Stop it! You're hurting me!_

_ Shut up, you little twit, and I might just let you live so you can remember the screams of the others!_

Rei shot out of bed and fell to the floor after her second step. "_Uuuhhhhnnggg_..." Magical girls didn't bounce, but Rei willed herself to crawl to her communicator. "Guys! Guys! Dammit..." It was a cheap digital wrist watch. As the world started spinning, Rei hauled herself up to her desk, fell over and hauled herself up again, grabbed the real watch and fell to the floor, the room spinning from the over exertion. "Guys..."

"Rei-_chan_! What is it?"

*.*.*

Tetsuya was left in the living room by himself. He had noticed, actually noticed Ami for the first time since the dance. She had gotten her hair trimmed the day before and it was even more boyish, but her slender neck helped her pull it off without a hitch. Then there was her skirt. Although it fell to her ankles, it was very figure fitting and he couldn't help but notice as she ran to get the phone. She didn't come out and the others went to join her. Several moments later, a smiling Minako asked him not to come out as they were doing girl stuff. He shrugged, whatever girl stuff meant.

He was left alone to his thoughts and barely noticed the three girls come out until he heard them laughing. Usagi and Minako were helping Makoto get whipped cream out of her hair. "Watch out," she warned him. "She's armed and dangerous!"

"_Oi!_ Tetsuya-_kun_!"

He turned to the kitchen as the door opened ever so slightly, a hand visible with the Japanese 'come here' gesture. "_Hai_." He shot up and walked into the kitchen, dropping his present at the sight. "A-ami-_chan_...?"

Ami dropped the whipped cream can with a metallic thud and stumbled towards him. She was no longer wearing her nice skirt... "Itch my... party and I... will do... what I wanna."

He could smell the alcohol on her breath from across the room. Before he had time to even begin pondering the ramifications of her actions on the group, she closed in on him before he could recover from his shock, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

And that was when, as if on cue, Makoto walked into the room, a few specs of whip cream still visible in her hair. "What the..."

Tetsuya squirmed away. "It's not what it looks like!"

Ami looked back at Makoto. "Hey, jolly green... giant. Go take the hike. And don't hit your head on my mom's sheiling!"

"GET OFF OF MY BOYFRIEND!" Makoto tackled Ami, knocking Tetsuya down in the process. He had fortunately avoided knocking his head onto the counter and was scooped up and dragged out by Minako.

"I didn't do anything," he pleaded.

"It's okay," Minako said, a frantic look on her face as Usagi charged into the kitchen. "I'm so sorry, and this is totally not your fault, but, please go. I know you were looking forward to this, but Ami-_chan's_ been bottling up her emotions and... I didn't think she was that drunk already." Minako opened the door and handed him his shoes. "Just give one of us a call sometime tomorrow, okay?"

She shut the door before Tetsuya could even respond. "But... I never got any of your phone numbers..."

_Ren, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!_

_You again? Who are you? Why are you in my head?_

_ I am Sailor Mars. Are you Journeyman?_

_ Yes. How are you doing this? Why are you doing this?_

_ Jorvist has selected his next victim._

_ That's impossible!_

_ No. He has abducted Naru Osaka._

Tetsuya sprinted through the complex, down the fire escape and through a small patch of trees. His street clothes disolved into his skin like his selfish worries about his relationship with Makoto Kino and his Klijargan Scout suit covered his skin. He felt the aura of Sailor Mars as he felt his desire to do..._something!_ He couldn't stand the feeling of helplessness as he watched Lila fall. He couldn't, and he _wouldn't!_ As the interpretation of reality and fantasy, possible and impossible began to warm, he reached out to Sailor Mars with his soul. _I'm coming!_

*.*.*

Rei spun, falling over again. "Guys...am I hallucinating?" She pointed the watch towards a figure crawling on the ground. _And I'm in my underwear..._

"Owww..." he mumbled with a metallic voice.

"That's no hallucination," Ami's voice said through the communicator. No longer pretending to be drunk after rinsing her mouth out with a shot of her mother's tequila, she sounded perfectly normal again. _Poor Tetsuya... and my identity and pride have just been compromised..._

Rei had no time to grab her transformation pen before Journeyman looked at her. "You..."

"So, we know each other," she replied as she crawled to her purse and took out the pen. "Mars Power, Make-UP!" In a flash of red and a swirl of orange, she transformed from the sick, immobile priestess Rei Hino to the sick, mostly functional Senshi of Mars. The choruses of the other Senshi transforming could be heard from the communicator.

"Does it always feel like you're being ripped through space," Journeyman asked as he stood up.

"Huh?"

"The teleport spell."

"No. Wait... you teleported by yourself?!"

"It's a five person spell. That's probably why it did a number on me."

"You... how did you learn that?"

"I'm a copy cat. I can learn the abilities from others if I'm around them long enough and stay around them. I also absorb abilities from someone if I kill them, except I keep those ones forever. Like my quick healing."

"Sailor Mars," Sailor Moon's voice cried through the communicator. "We're on our way! If Journeyman can solo it, I think if we try hard enough, we can pull off the teleport with just four of us!"

"Copy that," she replied as she looked at Journeyman. She mouthed the word 'Tetsuya,' and after a moment's hesitation he nodded.

"Are you going to tell them?"

She shook her head. "I'll let you tell them when you're ready. But please try to trust us. Things would be so much more convenient if we all knew each other's secret identities."

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better than how Jorvist is going to feel after we rescue Naru-_chan_."

A bright flash lit up the small room as the other four Senshi teleported. "We did it!" Usagi smiled. "Let's do this. I know where she is!"

"How," Tetsuya asked, his identity still a mystery to the other Senshi.

"In my heart. I know where she is. Ever since we were little girls, she's been there for me, always looking out for me. Let's go!"

Tetsuya stood in the center as the five of them held hands. "Sailor Teleport!"

*.*.*

Only one bystander had to be blasted for the rest of the crowd to understand the situation as they cleared out of the park. He was almost to the transport site. As soon as he brought the squirming Naru Osaka there, he'd be able to teleport her to the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and have some fun with some traps he would set up for the senshi. There were many rabbits other than the golden one to snare. _Soon, you will be mine, Sailor Moon!_

"Augh..."

Jorvist yanked her again. "Keep up with me, you stupid little oaf! We're almost there."

"Where?"

"Your destiny."

"Naru-_chan_!" A voice of in the distance made Jorvist freeze in his tracks. _How did they find me?!_

"HELP ME!" Naru hollered back and Jorvist cupped his hand over her mouth.

"Listen very carefully, you stupid girl." He pressed his cold, chapped lips up against her ear. "I want you to do something for me." He slithered his other hand down her chest and squeezed with a crushing grip, causing her to yell out a muffled cry of pain. "Scream for me." He shoved her to the ground and planted a foot on her back, pinning her. He laughed as he materialized his blade and raised it with both hands on the hilt. She looked up at him, a silent scream of horror in her eyes. She remained very, very still. "Scream for me!"

Jorvist thrust his blade down.

*.*.*

Naru Osaka screamed.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve  
**_A Coward's Last Resort_

"Naru-_chan_," Usagi cried, "we're coming! Hang on! We're coming!" The six warriors sprinted towards the direction of the scream. Although the run only took them half a minute, it seemed like an eternity. Journeyman was in the lead by five seconds and stopped on a dime when he saw Naru curled up in a spreading pool of blood.

"_Noooo_!" Usagi clinched her fists and started crying as she fell to her knees. "Naru-_chan_!"

"Jorvist," Journeyman screamed through his helmet, "come out! I'm going to cut out your beating black heart and feed it to the crows!"

Ami continued her sprint past them and slid to a stop next to Naru. Jorvist wanted to gloat and use her as bait. He would want to dangle her, not just kill her outright! She wouldn't believe Naru was dead until... "Pulse..." she whispered after yanking a glove off and putting her fingers to Naru's neck. "Breathing..." she saw that the blood was flowing from... her knee?! "She's alive! He cut her leg!"

"It's a... " Journeyman never said the word trap as his sword arm was impaled by Jorvist's blade, thrown from the shadows and sticking into the wall of a small bridge he was up against. But Ami never heard his scream. She felt something hard hit her head before she knew only darkness and peace.

*.*.*

Ami's cry of surprise was covered up by Journeyman's scream. Before Usagi could even think, a black orb slammed into Rei's back, dropping her instantly. Jorvist sprang on Minako and downed her with a flurry of energy blasts and grabbed her whip as he charged towards Makoto.

"Hold him off," Usagi cried as she darted towards Naru.

"I'm not holding back," Makoto replied. Although she was speaking to Usagi in regards to her views on trying to turn his wretched soul to the light, Jorvist accepted it as a challenge. _There's no way in hell I'm letting you save him, Usagi-_chan_. I'm sorry, but he dies!_

"Now we're talking," he yelled as he closed the distance.

"Supreme Thunder Dragon!" Makoto was the slow one, but even she eventually learned her lesson after enough burns and/or shocks. She didn't have to get a direct hit, just close enough to the chain and slow him down, then peg him good! The beast of lightning bit into the ground and dispersed its energy in front of Jorvist, shooting towards the metallic whip and shocking him mid-air, but he continued his charge regardless.

"Moon Healing Escalation," Usagi yelled next to Naru as Makoto prepared her next attack, knowing it would hit her as well, but she had no choice!

"Spark..._HURK!_" Makoto was knocked back as Jorvist slammed into her, thrusting the tightly held chain into her throat. "_GHAK!_"

"This whip will be the death of you," Jorvist laughed as he pressed harder and harder.

*.*.*

"I'm not holding back," Makoto warned Usagi as she darted towards Naru.

_If he dies, he dies._ Usagi had no delusions about the reality of the situation. Jorvist was not possessed by Chaos, nor was he once the galaxy's savior. Although she pitied him, she was determined to protect the ones she loved first, no matter what the cost to the other side. They had drawn first blood, unannounced and unprovoked.

"Now we're talking," Jorvist yelled back.

Usagi painfully slid on her leg to a stop. She needed to learn how to do it right, but first, she had to save her friend! Blood was pouring out of her leg and she would be dead in a matter of minutes if Usagi didn't stop the bleeding.

"Supreme Thunder Dragon!"

"Moon Healing Escalation!" Usagi hastily made a giant circle with her right hand and silver dust swirled around and into Naru's wound. But the blood kept coming.

"Spark... _HURK!_"

_Hang on, Mako-_chan_!_ Usagi ripped the bow off of the back of her uniform, then did the same thing with Ami's and yanked Naru's bow out of her hair and undid all three. All she needed was a stick or a rod. The fact that she had never learned how to apply a tourniquet ever crossed her mind. _Silver Crystal, please! Help me save my friend!_

"_GHAK!_"

Usagi's chest began glowing a bright silver as the Silver Crystal revealed itself and morphed into a silver crystalline rod. _A shillelagh?_ No, it was just a silver version of her old Cutie Moon Rod, only slightly longer. _This will do!_ She tied the first bandage just above her knee, then around the sliver rod and spun it, tightening it until the blood almost stopped.

"This whip will be the death of you," Jorvist laughed over Makoto's choking noises.

Usagi tied the rod in place with the second and third untied bows, one above the tourniquet, and one below. She turned towards her other imperiled friend but was knocked to the ground by a flying body.

*.*.*

Makoto looked at the sick smile on Jorvist's face. _Was this the smile you wore when you murdered Omi?_ She grabbed onto the ground with one hand. It just felt like the right thing to do. With her other hand, she threw a haymaker into Jorvist's side, hurling him off of her. She hoped that the cracks she felt were the bones in his ribs and not in her hand. As she sat up and sucked in fresh air, the pain in her hand made her hope that it was at least both.

She heard Usagi grunt and saw that she had accidentally hurled Jorvist right into her. _Dammit..._ Usagi was moving, but not in an effective manner to get up quickly like Jorvist. Makoto discarded the whip that hated her and charged towards her foe. "Sparkh...ling Wide... Pressure!" Breathing and talking hurt her throat and her neck felt like it had incurred the wrath of an angry chiropractor, but the warrior named after the King of Olympus would not let such mortal pains stop her.

The attack flung Jorvist high into the air, but apparently not into the next life as he fired off two blasts at her. The first blast was way off and it allowed time for her to take the second blast in the arm instead of the chest. It was a glancing blow that spun her around, but she stayed on her feet. "Double Sparkling Wide Pressure!" She let the spin finish a full three-sixty and fired off two blasts of her own. Both were perfectly aimed but the little slime ball dodged both of them and darted towards Journeyman, who was passed out, possibly even dead. Jorvist grabbed his red blade and charged.

"Supreme Thunder!" Makoto fired off one last blast and ran back to the accursed whip. It did a lot more damage to her than anyone else, it seemed, but she would be skewered without a weapon of her own. Why did all of the Outer Senshi have weapons? It wasn't fair! Hotaru had the Silence Glaive, Haruka had the... sword. _Doesn't it have a name?_ Setsuna had the Garnet Rod, and Michiru had... a mirror. But the mirror did stuff! And the damned things magically repaired themselves over time if they were broken!

And the Inner Senshi weren't helpless, either. Chibi-Usa and Usagi had rods or staffs or wands or a tiara that became a discus or whatever the seasons called for. Ami had a computer visor... thingy. Rei had her charms and could summon a flaming bow and arrow. And Minako had that goddamn chain whip that seemed intent on killing her. All she had was an antenna on her tiara! _I should've kept that rusty metal rod. Maybe I could've used it to shoot lighting from..._

Makoto leapt for the whip in a spinning cartwheel, landing facing towards her charging foe, but she turned just as he slammed the hilt of the sword into her forehead, causing her to see stars. She instinctively put her hand in front of her face just as Jorvist tried wrapping the whip around her neck again, preventing him from strangling her for the third time.

"You're learning," Jorvist mused, but a blast in the chest sent her into darkness.

*.*.*

Usagi finally pushed herself up when she heard Makoto scream. "Moon Tiara Dagger Action..." she muttered as she shook off the haze. Jorvist had just finished tying Makoto with Minako's whip. _You just aren't having any luck with that thing, Mako-_chan... "My friend needs a hospital. She'll need surgery to fix her leg for when she walks down the aisle at her wedding."

He looked at Usagi and smiled as he brandished Journeyman's weapon. "Ever see a red sword before?"

"Yes, actually. It shot stuff from it."

"Well, _this_ sword is rumored..."

"Moon Princess Halation!" Usagi fired her attack at Jorvist, hitting him square in the chest, mid-sentence. "I'm not going to waste words on you."

"You mean to kill me," he grunted as he hopped to his feet.

"If I have to."

"... what do you mean?"

"Why do you do this? Hurt innocent people and kill them? Why?"

"Because you're either the hawk, or the hare. There is nothing in between. No one came to my rescue. No one gave a damn about me. Even the Klijargans don't really give a crap about me. They just use me and my natural gifts to further their cause, and that's fine by me."

Usagi looked over at Journeyman. There was a stream of blood from his wound, but the bleeding wasn't too profuse. The tourniquet on Naru was holding almost perfectly. The worst that would happen if Usagi tried to save him was that he would die. She had time. _Please, help me._ She felt the aura of the Silver Crystal fill her.

"What... what are you doing?"

She knew she was starting to glow slightly. "What if you could leave everything behind? All the pain, suffering, guilt and sorrow. What if you could be reborn and start from life anew?"

"Guilt? You think I feel any guilt for my actions?"

"The people you hurt have feelings and hopes and dreams just like you. They are no different from you."

Jorvist giggled like a child in a toy store. "I _know_ that! That's exactly why I do it! I know firsthand what it feels like to be beaten and tortured and believe that I'm about to die. The knowledge that I'm making someone _else_ who doesn't necessarily deserve it feel that terror is what makes me feel alive! I'm done being a hare. I'm Jorvist, the hawk!"

_How far gone are you?_ "Then what are you afraid of?"

"Nothing! If I die tonight, then so be it. It was a great run while it lasted! I get it now. You're trying to_ save_ me! That's what you do. You try to avoid fighting because you're a coward!"

"If I can be, then yes. I will be the coward every time. But only if you let me."

"No, my little bunny. I think I'll collect my finest trophy right here and now! YAAAA!"

Jorvist leapt as he charged. Usagi dodged away from the slash of the blade and put her arms up to shield from the expected energy blast of magic. She felt a slight pain as the blade nicked her legs and a crushing heat as the blast slammed into her arms, which slammed into her chest, which threw her to the ground. Naturally, it was an impact of a slamming nature.

"Sailor Leap!" Usagi rolled back to her feet and shot high and away, spinning wildly as a second blast hit her square on the shoulder. "Moon Princess Halation! Moon Princess _OOF!_ Halation! _GAH!_" The first attack almost hit somehow, and as she charged up her second strike, she hit the ground. As she let off her second blow, which was on the mark, Jorvist fired a third blast, hitting her square in the chest. Oddly, it felt like rolling awkwardly on the ground caused more damage than the blast itself. The Silver Crystal could be funny like that at times...

She hopped to her feet and after a slight sway from dizziness, she saw Jorvist struggling to get back to his. He didn't just look injured, he also looked exhausted. The magical blasts took it out of him after awhile, but he held Journeyman's sword like it was an extension of himself. Usagi looked over at Naru again. A tiny pool of blood had oozed out of her bandaged wound. She was still bleeding. Normally it wouldn't be too much of a concern, but in those initial seconds that seemed like an eternity between her scream and the application of the tourniquet, she had already lost a significant amount of blood.

Usagi glanced at the others. Makoto was breathing, but other than that, she looked like a body taken down from the gallows pole with yet another ugly ligature on her neck. _And I thought green was a lucky color..._ Ami had tensed up and fallen like a rag doll and hadn't so much as twitched. Minako was exactly where she had fallen as well. Journeyman's wound was starting to look a bit more serious as the fight dragged on. Rei's breathing indicated that she was regaining consciousness, but the only good she'd be was if she was used as a human body shield.

_Not funny..._

Before she had time to once again relive the horrifying memory of Rei dying in her place at the hands of Galaxia, Jorvist threw another blast of energy at her. She let it hit her. It knocked her back, and she performed a back flip and landed in a fighting stance. _Live or die. It's up to you now, Jorvist._ "This can end," she said softly. "Surrender, and you will be given amnesty and a new sense of purpose. You can leave the past behind and walk into a bright future."

"Accept a pardon from you? I would rather have you at my mercy and let you go than accept your damned pity! Hands of Hell! HYAA!"

The blast knocked Usagi onto her back, and she sprang up, visibly scorched from the blast. "I'm not ready to give up on you just yet."

"Then you don't know when to quit! Blood doesn't lie, bunny! You won't be able to shrug off this sword!" Jorvist charged in again.

Usagi dodged and turned sideways. "Sailor... BUMP!"

*.*.*

If it hadn't been for the exquisite pain shooting through Jorvist's hip and spine, he would have questioned if that that had _really_ just happened. But the initial reports of somewhat childish attacks and antics from Sailor Moon were disturbingly true. The last thing between Earth's population and a merciless slaughter, she had nearly paralyzed him by performing a hip bump. But instead of the cracks of breaking bones, he only heard the unpleasant pops of vertebrae shifting slightly out of place and right back in. It was good to have his body magically reinforced and strengthened. _So, that's your game, is it?_ She really was trying to spare his life so she could poison his mind and turn him into a selfless servant of the light. There were things worse than death...

"Cute," he muttered as Sailor Moon rammed her shoulder into him, throwing him back into the ground again. "Omi was cute!" Jorvist rolled to a standing position and intercepted her snap kick and delivered a fiery uppercut under her knee. She cried out in pain as he head butted her and elbowed her in the gut. She fell back and he pounced on top of her, pinning her arms with his knees. He slowly lowered the red blade towards her neck. "Before I do this," he said as the blade touched her throat, "I want you to do something for me."

Sailor Moon stared back, blinking away the haze of dizziness as she fought to stay conscious.

"Scream for me."

Sailor Moon stared back, defiantly.

"I said scream!"

Sailor Moon slowly took in the last breath he would allow her, but then the world exploded around him as he felt the shockwaves from her cry crush into his ears. He dropped the sword and covered his hands over his ears, falling off of her, disoriented.

"Silver Crystal Power!"

Jorvist didn't hear her speak. He couldn't hear anything other than a high pitched ringing, temporarily deafened by a point blank Super Sonic Waves attack. _But she wasn't even crying..._ He looked over at her. She was holding her throat and on her knees, the look in her eyes somewhat unfocused. The tiara quit glowing and became a tiara again.

"Moon Tiara Stardust!" A different, softer glow emanated from the tiara as it turned into a discus. She whirled around and threw the discus just above him. Fully under the spell of the glowing discus, he merely stared up at it as it circled over him, sprinkling shimmering silver dust on him.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" Sailor Moon circled her arms, creating a shining circle in front of her. An aura of light enveloped Jorvist and the park in Chiba disappeared, replaced by a room of nothingness. There was no floor, no ceiling, no walls. Only a soft glow of silver from every angel could be seen. And there she was.

Neither Usagi Tsukino or Sailor Moon, and yet she was also both at the same time. Clothed only in pink ribbons flapping around, even though there was no wind. Jorvist was wrapped in black strips that slowly oozed off of him, falling to the invisible floor they were both standing on. An acrid, almost sulfuric tar smell filled the air as the black goop bubbled and smoked and faded away.

A new feeling, a new reality bombarded his senses. The light burned at his very soul. His understanding of everything was seared by it, yet he endured. The fire wasn't destroying him, it was... _purifying_ him. The last of the ooze flowed off of him as the pink ribbons on Usagi faded away. Although she was standing naked before him, all he could do was marvel at the glow of her blue eyes as two snow white angel wings sprouted from her back.

"Is this..." he whispered, still afraid that he might wake up in a recovery solution, or worse, back on his home world. "... is this what hope feels like?"

Her mouth didn't move as her voice filled his being. "Hope, love, trust... the things you were never given." She extended her hand and slowly approached. "Take my hand, Hawk. Be born anew, free of the weight of your previous life."

She closed the distance, and Jorvist took her hand in his as the world slowly returned to normal. Her glow faded and her fuku reappeared over her skin as his clothing rematerialized over his. He was still unable to hear and his injuries and fatigue from the battle had returned.

"I can't hear your words," he said gently, "but I can still speak. You've saved me, Sailor Moon. I now know what it is to be truly loved as a person and not simply valued as a weapon or a tool. The ones I have taken away can never be replaced, but there is so much suffering that I can put an end to. I can do it. I can make a better Klijarga, a better galaxy. I can save others the way you saved me. Even the one you call Journeyman. He can be saved, too. Your sacrifice will echo through eternity. I will make sure you're never forgotten."

Usagi tilted her head to one side. 'Sacrifice' she mouthed. Or rather spoke, but Jorvist could only hear an incessant high-pitched ringing.

"I will become the champion," he softly replied as he yanked her in and grabbed her throat with his free hand. He let go of her hand and punched her in the gut, unleashing a powerful blast of energy. Her wide eyes twitched and looked around erratically as they slowly rolled into the back of her head. Her struggling quickly eased as she went almost limp, twitching slightly. Jorvist raised his hand... no. His name was Taka, now. Usagi had called him Hawk in her native tongue. It was so. That would be his name. Taka raised his free hand to deliver the killing blow, but cried out in pain and dropped Usagi as something stuck itself in his forearm.

He looked up and saw a thorny red flower protruding through his arm. He saw a translucent shimmering blur hurling towards him as a gloved fist slammed into his face, making him see stars. Taka now heard two pitches of ringing.

*.*.*

"It's the only way," Jorvist muttered as he pushed himself to his feet. "I will honor her memory and..."

"Omi will be avenged tonight," Mamoru, finally able to transform into Tuxedo Mask again, said as his cane extended in length. "There will be no mercy for you, Jorvist! A man who kills for pleasure is no man at all. In the place of Sailor Moon, I will punish you in the name of the moon!"

Mamoru swung his cane down and Jorvist cried out in pain as he blocked the blow with his arms. Jorvist retaliated and Mamoru was thrown to the ground by a burning blast to his midsection, but it seemed to lack power. _Good job, Senshi. He's worn down. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you earlier, but I swear I'll finish him!_

Mamoru rolled up to a crouching position and saw a staggering Jorvist holding Journeyman's red blade as his own blade had pinned Journeyman to the stone wall of a small bridge. "It is the only way," Jorvist started again. "No punishment will absolve me of my sins. Only the Silver Crystal's light and a lifetime of making a difference can redeem me." He yanked the rose out of his arm and threw it back.

Mamoru ignored is inane babble, and with a flick of his fingers, the rose spun in mid air and sunk itself into Jorvist's leg.

"I was hoping to avoid this," he said painfully as he ripped the rose out again, this time crushing it in his grip. "Hands of Cleansing!" A silver fire enveloped the rose, turning it into ash.

Mamoru looked into his eyes as they reflected the waning crescent moon. _Usako, what have you done?!_ Despite being visibly changed, and even empowered by the Silver Crystal, Jorvist was determined as ever to kill Usagi. To hell with his words about helping others and honoring her memory. If Usagi died, Chibi-Usa would never exist, and Mamoru would not stand to live on any plane of existence other than the one occupied by his beautiful Rabbit of the Moon. The saying of 'til death do us part was only a temporary separation...

"Honor the living with another murdered innocent?! You are still mad with the taint of wickedness."

"The crystal is eternal. She is not the first host, and she will not be the last."

"I cannot allow this. Prepare to meet your gods!"

"I was hoping to avoid this, but I think I would be doing you a favor in the end. She will join you and those who came before her shortly. She will not suffer."

Mamoru pushed the pity he suddenly felt for his opponent away. Perhaps he could die with a sense of peace, at least. Perhaps his beloved had saved him after all, but in a more eternal sense. "So be it. No more words!"

Mamoru charged towards his foe, stabbing and slashing like his cane was a long rapier. Jorvist easily deflected the blows, but his counters were ineffective as he had to overextend and off-balance himself to compensate for the cane's superior reach. Mamoru glanced at Journeyman and Naru and saw they were still bleeding. He had to speed up the fight. His opponent was skilled, but also slow and weak. Mamoru switched to a two-handed off-center grip and willed the cane to grow into the length of a staff. Jorvist closed in and was punished by a series of strikes to his neck, chest, back and head. He fell to his knees and Mamoru grabbed the cane at the base and raised it over his head for the finishing blow.

Jorvist dropped the red blade and caught the cane in his off hand, crying out as the bones in his hand shattered. He grabbed onto the cane with his other hand, yanking Mamoru into him. He saw a silver fire erupt from the injured hand and a blinding flash as the purifying flames slammed into his face. He felt himself be hoisted into the air and the wind rushing as he was hurled away. He thought he made out a brick wall just as he was sent into darkness.

*.*.*

Rei snapped back into consciousness at the sound of a metallic scream. She saw Journeyman squirming, his left arm impaled by Jorvist's blade. Mamoru had finished falling to the ground where he lay still next to... Tetsuya! _Naru!_ Rei blinked away the creeping fatigue that threatened to yank her back into the dream realm and saw Naru lying on the ground. She had a tourniquet that seemed to be held in place by a silver Cutie Moon Rod. A soft glow emanated from it, almost resonating at the same rate as an unconscious Usagi. Jorvist was also glowing slightly in the same manner.

_Usagi, you idiot!_ She had unwittingly empowered Jorvist with the blessing of the moon itself, yet she had never fought anyone like him before. He wasn't possessed or under a spell. He was like Chaos born into flesh. How could the Silver Crystal truly save someone like him?

"Your life is in your own hands now, Tuxedo Mask," he said, limping towards Sailor Moon while cradling a hand that was bent unnaturally and had protrusions that weren't supposed to be there. "You must make the decision to endure or join her. I hope you are strong enough to guide the next bearer of the Silver Crystal."

_His eyes... no, his very soul!_ He _had_ changed. He seemed driven by a divine mandate, but for some reason, he interpreted that mandate as killing Usagi Tsukino.

"It seems so wrong," Jorvist started as he turned away from Rei. She silently pushed herself up and looked at Tetsuya, who seemed conscious, and put her finger to her lips. "You have delivered me from the jaws of damnation..." Rei silently crept towards Jorvist as he picked up the red blade with his uninjured hand. "... and I am forced to snuff your flame. We are both trapped..." She picked up the small black sphere that had knocked her out, almost losing balance as she was still fighting the pre-existing conditions of a severe flu and fever. "... by the same cruel fate. If I fail, others will come. While some are merciful, they will not give..." Rei raised the sphere over her head as she closed in the distance. "... the devotion and dedication to the protection of your people. This I swear..." Rei never had the chance to act as Jorvist whiled around, knocking her out with a roundhouse to the head.

*.*.*

"... in the name of the moon," Jorvist said as Sailor Mars fell to the ground again. He turned back to Sailor Moon and raised the sword. She would be the last innocent to die by his hands, and it would be the blood of her innocence that would water the meadows of a brighter future. But before he had a chance to strike, he was knocked to the ground by a fiery blast. He pushed himself to his knees and felt a ripping pain in his chest and through his back. He opened his eyes and saw Pethospoe. He held Jorvist's sword as it ran him through the chest. His hands were engulfed in flames.

Pethospoe ripped the blade back out and Jorvist fell back. The world began to blur and fade. "P... Pethos... poe... please... listen... to me... you must... let her..."

Jorvist's own sword, clutched in Pethospoe's uninjured arm, fell. The ringing in Jorvist's ears stopped forever.

*.*.*

Tetsuya kicked the severed head and turned away without even bothering to watch it roll to a stop. "You don't get any final words, monster..." The final scenes of combat and seeing his friends at the mercy of the insane monster Jorvist, babbling insanely about the moon, had pushed him over the edge. It was too much for him to endure, and he retreated from sanity itself. He had entered into an uncontrollable state of fury. Underneath his mask, his eyes were glowing red. He was unable to feel pain, or fear, or remorse. He had effortlessly ripped Jorvist's sword out of the wall and used his own Hands of Hell attack against him. No longer in control of himself and lost to the sensation of utter bloodlust, he smiled as he pondered who to kill next...


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_And Fate Takes the Rest..._

"P... Pethos... poe... please... listen... to me... you must... let her..."

Naru's eyes flickered open. She was cold, so cold. She saw Journeyman slash his sword down, decapitating her tormentor and kicking his head away.

"_Oua qwoue schidwa trourvue gadeull, teischtwa_..."

"Journeyman," she whispered. He swayed as he turned to face her. Blood flowed from his left arm that looked broken and twisted. "You saved our lives."

He walking in a stumbling saunter towards her, laughing a cold metallic laugh through his mask. "_Oue... gyuwar deznwa..._" He raised his sword over his head, as if to strike her.

"St... stop..."

"... Stop...?"

*.*.*

"You... powerless runt..." Tetsuya raised Jorvist's blade over his head.

"_Ma_... _matte_..."

"... _Matte_...?"

_Kill her!_

"... _iie_..." Japanese. He was Japanese now, not Aschothily. Naru spoke again.

"I know... you're not... g-going to... h-hurt me..." Her eyes flickered as she fell unconscious again.

"No... I'm supposed to... save... GAH!" The desire to murder and ravage and destroy was overpowering! The Sailor Senshi were helpless. He could butcher them, claim the title of Liberator, be pardoned for his betrayal and become a god, killing stronger and stronger opponents until none in the entire galaxy could stop him! The entire universe that had cast him in the gutters would pay! And the first to suffer for the sins of fate would be Naru Osaka.

"... No... I... won't..."

_It is your destiny!_

"Not... this time..." As his senses began to counter the effects of the rage, he felt pain again. He also felt fear, but he pushed it away and slammed his knee into the wound on his arm. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He dropped the sword and fell to the ground. Horrific flashbacks of the process to infuse his Scout suit into his skin raced through his mind. He saw a woman, weeping for him. But in the insanity of the moment, he saw his mother's face instead.

_Go away, monster..._

_ NO! Kill them! Become the god you were destined to be. Rise above those who looked down upon you with upturned noses! Bath in their blood, wallow in their lamentation, feast upon their sorrow as you drink their tears as if it were the nectar of the gods of Olympus!_

Tetsuya felt the pain ease as his control waned. The rage was coming again, forcing away his senses.

_Rei_-chan... Rei! He was going to kill Rei! If he killed the Senshi, he would kill Rei. He was going to take away the one flicker of hope that gave Yuuichirou Kumada purpose. The fiery soul that had guided him to her and sworn to keep his secret safe until he was ready to reveal himself. The blazing light who would always be there for Usagi until the end. She was safe and Jorvist was dead because she fought with every ounce of strength she had! If Rei Hino died, it would _not_ be by his hand!

"No... I... won't..." Tetsuya grasped Jorvist's blade with his wounded hand as his uninjured hand was surrendering to the fury devouring him. He would save Rei and Naru. Usagi would have her friends alive and whole, and the Sailor Senshi would fight another day. They would fight on for what Tetsuya had dreamed of attaining. He had been willing to die fighting, to save those he loved. _This is how I die..._ He would have to believe in them. Believe in her. Believe that they would finish what he had started.

"Mako-_chan_, Ami-_chan_, Usagi-_chan_, I'm so sorry..." He clenched his teeth as he willed himself through the pain and turned the sword upon himself with his mangled arm. He refused to chant any pain suppression mantras or courage mantras. He was a coward, but dammit, he was going to die a free coward, not a slave of fear and false promises in the form of Klijargan incantations! As he prepared to flex his biceps and deltoids to plunge the sword into himself, he was bombarded by a silver light.

"Moon Healing Escalation!"

It didn't sound like Usagi's voice, but then again, strangulation was always a motif of Jorvist's. Perhaps her throat had been injured, but it didn't matter. The rage dissipated almost instantly. He was himself again as exhaustion, fear and pain slammed into him like a linebacker into an unsuspecting quarterback. He rolled onto his uninjured side, paralyzed by the torment shooting from his left arm. The pain was so intense that he was unable to breathe.

Only when he genuinely thought he was going to suffocate did his muscles relax long enough to let him take in a quick breath, but it hissed out as he began weeping, overcome by the suffering he was enduring. But at least he was truly himself again.

He looked at the blood flowing from his wound. It was very serious. _I... I don't want to die..._

*.*.*

Did he know their identities?! He had said her name, as well as Ami and Makoto's, and it was common knowledge that he knew Rei's identity... and possibly the style of undergarments she preferred, but that was hardly significant. Journeyman was down for the count, weeping metallic whimpers as he clutched his wounded arm, curled up in a ball.

Jorivst was dead. She had failed to save him, but it wasn't important anymore. He was dead, but Naru and Journeyman were still alive. She would have to do her best to save as many as she could. Fate would take the rest.

She knew she needed three of the other Senshi to help her teleport. Minako and Makoto quickly stirred, and after what would have been a humorous moment of Makoto freaking out over the whip tying her up had the circumstances been different, she got Rei back up. Ami regained consciousness as Tuxedo Mask picked up Naru while Minako helped Journeyman to a sitting position. His head lulled from side to side as he kept saying 'no hospital' repeatedly.

Rei was barely able to remain standing as they performed their teleportation spell. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask were teleported to Juubaan Second General Hospital while the others were teleported back to Rei's.

*.*.*

Rei fell gracelessly to the ground, unconscious. Her fuku disappeared and she was once again clad only in non-matching underwear. "Rei-_chan_," Ami frantically whispered. She looked around and saw that the living room was empty. Rei's Grandfather and Yuuichirou had left for the mountains earlier that day before Rei had even woken up, too sick to go to school. But without a parent or guardian to vouch for her, she had hauled herself to school where she had been quickly sent back home. Although it had probably been a ploy to prevent Yuuichirou and Rei from having quality time at Ami's birthday party that ended up causing physical suffering and distress to her, it had worked out remarkably well for them in the long run. But that was only if Rei survived.

"I got her," Makoto said as she scooped Rei up and noticed the odd stares from Ami and Minako. "... it was just a phase! Besides, she's not my type!" She sneered at the other two and carried Rei into her room.

_If you say so..._

"What do we do about him," Minako asked.

Ami saw that Journeyman seemed limp and unmoving. She opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly the black suit slowly disappeared and was replaced by the clothing of a young man from Earth...


End file.
